GIFT  OF 
President  fs  Office 


MEMBERS  ^  't*t  *     V    j  'MEMBERS 

GEO.  F.  SOUTHARD.  ENID  J.  p.,  DUFEf.  COKDELL 

CH  AS.  F.  BROOKS,  MCALESTER  j     J        -       ;         \  \  '  *;  fcYRLfe  f<"V^Y;  jtuUSA 


STATE  OF  OKLAHOMA 

EDUCATIONAL  SURVEY  COMMISSION 

OKLAHOMA  CITY 

R.  H.  WILSON.  CHAIRMAN  J.  S.  VAUGHAN.  EXECUTIVE  SEC'Y 


In  order  that  the  people  of  Oklahoma  may  be 
informed  of  the  results  of  the  Oklahoma  Educational 
Survey,  the  Commission  has  had  printed  sufficient 
copies  to  send  one  to  the  office  of  each  County  Super- 
intendent, City  Superintendent,  Public  Library,  and 
member  of  the  Legislature.  This  copy  is  the  property 


f__  Library, 

University  of  California, 
Berkeley,  California, 


of_ 


We  respectfully  ask  that  this  copy  be  left  in  the  office 
of  the  above  named  place  or  institution  permanently. 

Oklahoma  Educational  Survey  Commission 
By  J.  S.  Vaughan 

Executive  Secretary 


DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

BUREAU  OF  EDUCATION 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN 
OKLAHOMA 


A  REPORT  OF  A  SURVEY  OF  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  THE 
STATE  OF  OKLAHOMA,  MADE  AT  THE  REQUEST  OF  THE 
OKLAHOMA  STATE  EDUCATIONAL  SURVEY  COMMISSION, 
UNDER  THE  DIRECTION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  COMMIS- 
SIONER OF  EDUCATION. 


WASHINGTON 
DECEMBER  11,1922 


*•• 


CONTENTS. 

Letter  of  Commissioner  Tigert  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Oklahoma 

State  Survey  Commission v 

Letter  of  Transmittal vii 

Members  of  the  Survey  Staff ix 

I.     Introduction  1 

II.     Historical  Background  6 

III.  Problems  of  Financing  Public  Schools 26 

IV.  Financial  and  Accounting  Procedure 76 

V.     Organization   and   Administration 119 

VI.     Higher  Education  128 

VII.  The  Rural  Schools 197 

VIII.  Village  and  City  Schools _ 279 

IX.     Education   of  Indians 309 

X.     Education  of  Negroes 325 

XI.     Educational  Tests  and  Measurements 351 

XII.     Summary  of  Conclusions  and  Recommendations 359 

Appendix  A.  Legislation  Affecting  City  School  Systems 406 

Appendix  B.  Statement  of  Untaxed  Indian  Lands  in  Oklahoma  416 
Appendix  C.  Plan  for   Distribution    of   Aid   from   the   Julius 

Rosen wald  Fund  ...  ...  419 


iii 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 

Bureau  of  Education 
Washington 

Letter  of  Commissioner  Tigert  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Oklahoma 
State  Educational  Survey  Commission. 

Honorable  Robert  H.  Wilson,  Chairman. 
Oklahoma  State  Educational  Survey  Commission, 
Oklahoma  Cit^,  Oklahoma. 

My  dear  Mr.  Wilson: 

In  accordance  with  the  agreement  entered  into  with  the  Okla- 
homa State  Educational  Survey  Commission,  I  have  caused  a  care- 
ful study  to  ibe  made  of  public  education  in  Oklahoma,  and  have 
received  and  given  due  consideration  to  the  reports  made  to  me  by 
members  of  the  Survey  Staff  designated  to  make  the  investigation. 

I  take  pleasure  in  transmitting  this  report  for  consideration  by 
your  Commission,  and,  in  due  time,  by  the  people  of  Oklahoma. 

Permit  me  to  express  appreciation  of  the  cordial  spirit  of  co- 
operation with  the  Survey  manifested  by  all  concerned  with  edu- 
cation in  Oklahoma.  The  Bureau  of  Education  and  the  people  of 
Oklahoma  are  under  obligation  also  to  those  State  and  City  de- 
partments of  education,  and  educational  institutions,  which  have 
co-operated  by  making  it  possible  for  representatives  to  serve  on 
the  Survey  Staff.  Educational  experts  from  seven  widely  separat- 
ed States  (Minnesota,  Kansas,  Illinois,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  New  York, 
Georgia)  have  participated  in  this  investigation,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Federal  Bureau  of  Education.  By  adding  their  counsel 
to  that  of  representatives  of  the  Bureau  it  has  thus  been  possible  to 
bring  to  bear  on  the  problems  of  public  education  in  Oklahoma  the 
lessons  of  experience  drawn  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States. 

I  trust  that  the  results  of  our  efforts  may  play  some  appropri- 
ate part  in  the  educational  awakening  for  which  the  people  of  Ok- 
lahoma appear  to  be  ready. 

Cordially  yours, 

JNO  J.  TIGERT, 
Commissioner. 
Washington,  December  11,  1922. 


LETTER  OF  TRANSMITTAL. 

Hon.  J.  B.  A.  Robertson, 
Governor  of  Oklahoma, 
Oklahoma  City. 

Dear  Sir: 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  Senate  Bill  No.  19,  enacted 
by  the  Special  Session  of  the  State  Legislature  of  Oklahoma,  the 
Educational  Survey  Commission,  at  its  first  meeting  held  November 
15,  1921,  requested  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education 
to  make  the  necessary  arrangements  and  conduct  a  survey  of  pub- 
lic education  in  Oklahoma. 

The  Educational  Survey  Commission,  on  November  30,  1921, 
elected  Mr.  John  S.  Vaughan  Executive  Secretary  for  the  Commis- 
sion and  authorized  him  to  represent  the  Commission  in  carrying 
out  the  details  of  the  survey. 

Complying  with  the  request  of  the  Survey  Commission,  Dr. 
William  T.  Bawden  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  met  with  the  Com- 
mission in  Oklahoma  City,  January  2-3,  1922,  and  presented  in  de- 
tail plans  and  terms  for  making  the  survey.  The  Survey  Commis- 
sion formally  accepted  the  terms  as  presented  by  Dr.  Bawden,  and 
requested  that  the  Bureau  of  Education  make  all  necessary  arrange- 
ments for  completing  the  survey. 

During  the  months  of  April  and  May,  1922,  a  comprehensive 
series  of  tests  was  given  to  selected  groups  of  children,  in  all  types 
of  public  schools,  in  all  sections  of  the  State,  by  a  group  of  Oklahoma 
educators,  under  the  direction  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Edu- 
cation. The  committee  was  organized  by  Dean  W.  W.  Phelan,  Col- 
lege of  Education,  University  of  Oklahoma,  who  served  as  chairman 
until  his  departure  from  the  state.  He  was  then  succeeded  by  Henry 
D.  Rinsland,  director  of  educational  research,  public  schools  of 
Ardmore. 

In  view  of  the  desire  of  the  Commission  to  include  in  the  sur- 
vey a  study  of  the  special  problems  of  education  for  Indians  in 
Oklahoma,  the  cooperation  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Indian 
Affairs  was  sought,  through  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  This 
request  was  immediately  granted,  and  Commissioner  Burke  des- 
ignated Mr.  Peairs  as  his  personal  representative  for  this  study. 

vii 


The  field  work  of  the  survey  began  on  October  16,  1922,  with  a 
conference  with  the  Commission  in  Oklahoma  City.  Approximately 
five  hundred  twenty-three  days  were  devoted  to  field  work  by  nine- 
teen members  of  the  Survey  Staff;  most  of  the  visiting  being  done 
between  October  16th  and  November  llth.  Schools  were  visited  in 
forty-six  of  the  seventy-seven  counties  of  the  state. 

On  Thursday,  December  14,  1922,  Dr.  Bawden  presented  his 
report  as  Director  of  the  Survey  to  the  Oklahoma  Educational  Sur- 
vey Commission  in  executive  session  in  Oklahoma  City. 

After  listening  to  a  reading  of  the  report  by  Dr.  Bawden,  a 
motion  was  duly  made  and  seconded  that  the  report  be  accepted 
and  printed,  and  a  copy  delivered  to  the  Governor,  with  the  request 
that  he  present  this  report  to  the  Legislature  for  its  serious  consid- 
eration. The  motion  was  unanimously  carried  and  in  obedience 
thereto  we  submit  herewith  a  copy  of  the  report. 

Dr.  Bawden  was  requested  by  the  Commission  to  prepare  a 
digest  of  the  report,  and  that  same  be  released  to  the  newspapers 
on  Sunday,  December  the  24th. 

The  Commission  requested  the  Secretary  to  have  one  thousand 
copies  of  Chapter  IX.  relating  to  "The  Education  of  Indians" 
printed,  and  that  copies  of  same  be  furnished  to  the  Senators  and 
Congressmen  for  consideration. 

The  Commission  is  convinced  that  the  bureau  of  Education  has 
made  an  earnest  endeavor  to  give  the  state  of  Oklahoma  a  survey 
free  from  bias  and  in  the  interest  of  its  public  schools.  We  trust 
that  the  Legislature  and  the  citizenship  of  the  state  will  accept  the 
survey  in  the  spirit  in  which  it  has  been  made  and  apply  these 
standards  to  our  present  school  system. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

EDUCATIONAL  SUEVEY  COMMISSION. 
R.  H.  WILSON,  Chairman, 
GEO.  F.  SOUTHARD,  Member. 
CHAS.  L.  BROOKS,  Member, 
J.  A.  DUFF,  Member, 
CYRUS  S.  AVERY,  Member. 

JOHN  S.  VAUGHAN,  Executive  Secretary. 

December  18,  1922. 

viii 


MEMBERS  OF  THE  SURVEY  STAFF. 

The  members  of  the  staff  appointed  by  the  Commissioner  of 
Education  to  make  the  survey  of  the  public  schools,  the  higher 
educational  institutions,  and  the  Government  Indian  Schools  in  the 
State  of  Oklahoma,  and  to  report  to  him  their  findings  and  recom- 
mendations, are  as  follows: 
Prom  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education. 

Dr.  "William  T.  Bawden,  Assistant  to  Commissioner,  Director 
of  the  Survey. 

Dr.  George  F.  Zook,  Chief,  Division  of  Higher  Education. 

Mrs.  Katherine  M.  Cook,  Chief,  Rural  Schools  Division. 

Dr.  Willard  S.  Small,  Chief,  Division  of  Physical  Education  and 
School  Hygiene. 

Mrs.  Henrietta  "W.  Calvin  Specialist  in  Home  Economics. 

"William  R.  Hood,  Specialist  in  Educational  Legislation. 

Miss  Maud  C.  Newbury;  Assistant  in  Rural  Education. 

E.  E.  Windes,  Assistant  in  Rural  Education. 

Lloyd  E.  Blauch,  Specialist  in  Charge  of  Land-Grant  College 
Statistics. 

Major  Alex  Summers,  Collector  and  Compiler  of  Statistics. 
From  Outside  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education. 

Dr.  Frank  L.  McVey,  President,  University  of  Kentucky,  Lex- 
ington, Ky. 

Raymond  M.   Hughes,   President,   Miami  University,   Oxford, 
Ohio. 

Dr.  Fletcher  Harper  Swift,  Professor  of  Education,  College  of 
Education,  University  of  Minnesota,  Minneapolis'. 

Ralph  Bowman,  Consulting  Accountant,  and  member  of  staff 
of  United  States  Bureau  of  Efficiency,  "Washington,  D.  C. 

J.  W.  Gowans,  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,  Hutchinson, 
Kansas. 

Dr.  E.  E.  Lewis,  Superintendent  of  Public  Schools,  Rockford, 
Illinois. 

George  A.  Works  Professor  of  Rural  Education,  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, Ithaca,  New  York. 


H.  B.  Peairs,  Chief  Supervisor  of  Education,  United  States  In- 
dian Service,  Department  of  the  Interior,  Washington,  D.  C. 

Herbert  C.  Calhoun,  Supervisor  of  Schools  for  the  Five  Civil- 
ized Tribes,  U.  S.  Indian  Service,  Muskogee,  Oklahoma. 

R.  M.  Spalsbury,  Supervisor  of  Schools,  U.  S.  Indian  Service, 
Lawrence,  Kansas. 

Dr.  Thomas  Jesse  Jones,  Director,  Phelps-Stokes  Fund,  New 
York  City. 

Miss  Bertha  Eckert,  Secretary,  Indian  Department,  National 
Board  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  New  York  City. 

Walter  B.  Hill,  State  Supervisor  of  Negro  Education,  State 
Department  of  Education,  Atlanta,  Ga. 


CHAPTER  J. 
INTRODUCTION. 

The  Oklahoma  State  Legislature,  in  Special  Session,  1921, 
passed  an  "Act  creating  a  Commission  of  Educational  Survey,  nam- 
ing the  duties,  providing  for  an  educational  survey  of  the  State 
school  system  of  Oklahoma  and  making  an  appropriation  of  twenty 
thousand  dollars  ($20,000). " 

The  members  of  the  Commission,  appointed  by  Governor  J.  B. 
A.  Rdbertson  are  as  follows : 

Robert  H.  "Wilson,  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction, 
Oklahoma  City,  Chairman  ex-officio. 

George  F.  Southard,  Enid. 

Charles  L.  Brooks,  Sapulpa. 

J.  A.  Duff,  Cordell. 

Cyrus  S.  A  very,  Tulsa. 

Later,  the  Commission  appointed  J.  S.  Vaughan  as  its  Executive 
Secretary. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Commission  was  held  at  Oklahoma  City 
on  November  15th,  1921,  at  which  time  the  chairman  was  directed 
to  open  negotiations  with  the  U.  S.  Commissioner  of  Education.  On 
December  10th  Governor  Robertson  conferred  with  Commissioner 
Tigert  in  Washington  concerning  the  major  problems  which  it  is 
hoped  the  Survey  might  assist  in  solving.  After  some  correspond- 
ence, a  second  meeting  of  the  Commission  was  held  at  Oklahoma 
City  on  January  2,  3,  1922,  at  which  a  representative  of  the  Bureau 
of  Education  was  present  for  conference  on  details  of  the  survey. 

At  this  meeting  "a  resolution  was  unanimously  adopted  by  the 
Survey  Commission  inviting  the  Bureau  of  Education  at  Washing- 
ton to  direst  and  make  the  Educational  Survey  of  the  State  as  indi- 


2  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

cated  by  the  law  passed  by  the  last  session  of  the  Oklahoma  State 
Legislature,  and  that  the  Commission  pledges  whatever  support  it 
can  give  to  the  Bureau  of  Education  in  the  Survey  to  be  made."  1 

(1)     From  letter  of  Secretary  Vaughan  to  Commissioner  of  Education. 

In  view  of  the  desire  of  the  Commission  to  include  in  the  Sur- 
vey a  study  of  the  special  problems  of  education  for  Indians  in 
Oklahoma,  the  co-operation  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Indian 
Affairs  was  sought,  through  the  Department  of  the  Interior.  This 
request  was  immediately  granted,  and  Commissioner  Burke  desig- 
nated Mr.  Peairs  as  his  personal  representative  for  this  study. 

On  January  17th,  1922,  the  Commissioner  of  Education  accept- 
ed the  invitation  to  make  the  Survey,  and  steps  were  taken  at  once 
to  organize  a  staff  of  investigators.  On  August  21st  a  partial  list 
of  names  was  submitted  to  the  Commissioner  for  approval,  with 
th6  understanding  that  additional  names  would  be  submitted  later. 

During  the  months  of  April  and  May  a  committee  of  Oklahoma 
educators,  under  the  direction  of  the  Bureau  of  Education,  conduct- 
ed a  series  of  educational  tests>  and  measurements  in  public  schools 
in  various  parts  of  the  State.  Dean  W.  W.  Phelan,  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Oklahoma,  served  as  chairman  of  this  committee  until  his  de- 
parture from  the  State,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Henry  D.  Rins- 
land,  director  of  educational  research  in  the  public  schools  of  Ard- 
more. 

In  August,  1922,  Governor  Robertson  pledged  an  additional 
sum  from  contingent  funds  to  be  available,  if  necessary,  to  meet  the 
extra  expense  incurred  by  reason  of  including  a  special  study  of 
education  for  Indians. 

THE  FIELD  WORK. 

The  field  work  of  the  Survey  began  on  October  16th,  with  a 
conference  with  the  Commission  at  Oklahoma  City.  Conferences  of 
the  Survey  Staff  were  held  each  Saturday  until  the  close  of  the 
field  work. 


INTRODUCTION  3 

Approximately  523  days  were  devoted  to  field  work  by  19 
members  of  the  Survey  Staff,  most  of  the  visiting  being  done  be- 
tween October  16  and  November  11.  Schools  were  visited  in  46  of 
the  77  counties  of  the  State,  as  follows : 

Number  of  Counties  Number  of  Members  of  Staff 

Visiting 

1  19 

2  10 

1  9 

2  8 
2  6 
2  5 

5  4 
8  3 

6  2 
17  1 

Total  number  of  counties  visited 46 

Aggregate  number  of  visits,  at  least 179 


PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 


HH       Q 


§ 


INTRODUCTION  5 

THE  SURVEY  BUDGET. 

The  principal  items  of  expenditure  in  connection  with  the  Sur- 
vey, to  date,  (December  11,  1922)  may  be  summarized  as  follows : 

Transportation  of  19  members  of  staff $  2,648.80 

Honoraria   and   subsistence    of   13   members   of   the   staff 

not  connected  with  the  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education 8,618.00 

Subsistence   of  6  members  of  the  staff  from  the  U.   S. 

Bureau  of  Education____ 1,536.50 

Educational  tests  (Dean  Phelan's  Committee)  estimated.     4,000.00 

Expenses,  Secretary's  office,  (Mr.  Vaughan)  estimated 4,800.00 

Printing  report  (estimated)   L: :..... :.... 2,500.00 

Clerical    assistance     (Washington  -  tabulating    question- 

aires) _ 746.00 

Miscellaneous  expenses,  supplies,  etc.__ 85.11 


Total  .  $24,934.41 


CHAPTER  II. 
HISTORICAL  BACKGROUND. 

OUTLINE  OF  POLITICAL  HISTORY. 

Area  and  Early  Beginnings.  Oklahoma,  a  word  of  Choctaw  In- 
dian origin,  means  "Land  of  the  Red  Men."  As  a  name  for  a  ter- 
ritorial area  it  is  said  to  have  been  first  suggested  by  members  of 
the  Choctaw  Commission  to  Washington  for  the  purpose  of  form- 
ing a  new  treaty  bet-ween  that  Indian  nation  and  the  United  States 
after  the  close  of  the  Civil  War.  Its  first  legal  application  to  a 
political  division  was  to  the  territory  comprising  the  unassigned 
and  certain  other  lands  near  the  center  of  what  is  now  the  State  of 
Oklahoma  when  that  territory  was  provided  with  a  form  of  govern- 
ment by  act  of  Congress  in  1890. 

Congress  in   1830    (1)    authorized  the  President  to   set  aside 

(1)  4  'Stat.  L.  411. 

lands  "of  any  territory  belonging  to  the  United  States',  west  of  the 
river  Mississippi,  not  included  in  any  State  or  organized  territory, 
and  to  which  the  Indian  title  has  been  extinguished,"  for  the  pur- 
pose of  exchange  for  the  lands  of  Indians  where  they  then  resided, 
the  intent  of  the  act  being  the  removal  of  the  Red  Men  of  the 
eastern  States,  particularly  those  of  the  southeast,  to  points  west 
of  the  Mississippi.  Pour  years  later  (2)  Congress  declared  to  be 

(2)  Ibid.,  729. 

"Indian  country"  all  that  part  of  the  United  States  west  of  the 
Mississippi  and  not  within  the  States  of  Missouri  and  Louisiana  or 
the  Territory  of  Arkansas.  This  act  regulated  trade  with  the  In- 
dians, but  set  up  no  territorial  government.  The  Indian  tribes, 
which  at  that  time  were  in  process  of  settling  in  the  West,  retained 
their  own  tribal  organizations.  The  Kansas-Nebraska  Bill  approv- 
ed May  30,  1854,  fixed  the  37th  parallel  of  latitude  as  the  southern 
boundary  of  Kansas,  and  thus  the  "Indian  country"  was  restricted 


HISTORICAL   BACKGROUND  7 

to  that  part  of  the  United  States  which  was  bounded  on  the  east  by 
Missouri  and  Arkansas,  on  the  north  by  Kansas,  on  the  west  by  the 
Texas  Panhandle,  and  on  the  south  by  Texas. 

Within  the  territory  thus  outlined  the  State  of  Oklahoma  de- 
veloped. Speaking  generally,  its  area  originally  comprised  three 
divisions.  First  was  the  Indian  Territory,  which  at  the  time  of 
the  admission  of  the  State  extended  over  the  eastern  half  and  was 
occupied  by  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  and  a  few  less  important  tribes 
whose  reservations  were  comparatively  small.  The  reservations  of 
the  civilized  tribes — Cherokee,  Choctaw,  Chickasaw,  Creek  and 
Seminole — formerly  extended  to  the  Texas  Panhandle,  but  after  the 
Civil  War  the  necessity  for  negotiating  new  treaties  between  those 
Indians  and  the  Government  arose,  and  as  a  consequence  their  ter- 
ritory was  curtailed,  and  the  western  section  was  assigned  to  vari- 
ous "plains  Indians"  such  as  the  Comanche  and  Arapaho. 

This  western  section  thus  became  the  second  division  here 
thought  of  and  constituted  the  main  area  of  the  Territory  of  Okla- 
homa as  organized  by  Act  of  Congress  of  May  2,  1890  (1)  and 

(1)      26  Stat.  L.  81. 

later  enlarged.  In  the  assignment  of  lands  to  the  plains  Indians, 
an  area  of  about  3,000  square  miles  near  the  center  of  the  present 
State  had  been  overlooked  or  otherwise  left  unassigned.  This  un- 
assigned  area  was  opened  to  settlement  April  22,  1889,  and  was  soon 
occupied  by  thousands  of  settlers,  but  the  people  were  temporarily 
left  to  govern  themselves,  as  no  legally  formed  government  was  pro- 
vided until  the  passage  of  the  act  organizing  the  Territory  of  Okla- 
homa the  following  year.  By  subsequent  "opening's"  of  land  to 
settlement,  including  the  Cherokee  Outlet  along  the  Kansas  line 
and  the  Kiowa-Comanche  country  to  the  southward,  the  Territory 
of  Oklahoma  was  enlarged  until  in  1901,  when  the  "openings"  were 
practically  completed  it  included  the  entire  western  half  of  the 
present  state. 

The  third  division  was  the  rectangular  strip  about  35  miles 
wide  and  160  miles  in  length  lying  along  the  north  side  of  the  Texas 
Panhandle.  This  was  known  as  the  "Public  Land  Strip"  and  was 
included  in  Oklahoma  on  the  organization  of  that  Territory.  This 
strip  is  the  only  part  of  the  present  State  which  was  not  within  the 
Louisiana  Purchase.  With  other  Mexican  possessions  north  of  the 
Rio  Grande  and  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado,  it  was  acquired  by  the 


8  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

United  States  under  the  Treaty  of  Guadalupe  Hidalgo  in  1848.  But 
since  it  lies  north  of  latitude  36°  30',  slavery  could  not  exist  there 
under  the  terms  of  the  Missouri  Compromise,  and  in  consequence 
Texas,  after  some  controversy,  ceded  it  to  the  United  States  in 
1850.  Neither  of  the  Territories  of  New  Mexico  and  Kansas,  which 
were  organized  in  1850  and  1854,  respectively,  included  the  Public 
Land  Strip,  hence  it  was  left  outside  the  limits  of  any  legally  or- 
ganized political  division  and  came  to  be  popularly  known  as  "No 
Man's  Land."  An  attempt  was  made  to  organize  the  "Territory 
of  Cimarron"  there  in  1887,  but  this  was  without  legal  authority. 

The  total  area  of  Oklahoma  as  made  up  of  the  three  divisions 
described  above  is  70,057  square  miles. 

The  Indian  Territory.  The  eastern  half  of  the  present  State, 
which  for  a  long  time  was  popularly  known  as  "Indian  Territory," 
was  in  fact  never  a  Territory  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  first  organ- 
ization as  a  prospective  State.  It  never  had  a  full  Territorial  form 
of  government  such  as  existed  in  other  States  before  their  admis- 
sion to  the  Union.  The  Indians  had  their  own  tribal  governments, 
subject  of  course  to  the  authority  of  the  United  States  and  to 
treaty  agreements,  and  all  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  except  the 
Seminole,  had  progressed  so  far  as  to  have  written  constitutions 
under  which  executive,  legislative  and  judicial  branches  of  govern- 
mental functioning  were  in  operation ;  but  for  the  white  population 
which  had  filtered  in  there  was  little  legal  regulation. 

This  condition,  however,  tended  to  change.  The  same  act  of 
Congress  which  gave  a  form  of  government  to  the  Territory  of  Ok- 
lahoma also  contained  provisions  affecting  the  Indian  Territory. 
These  provisions  extended  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Federal  Courts 
in  that  Territory  and  made  applicable  there  numerous  Statutes  of 
Arkansas.  The  Arkansas  statutes  thus  made  applicable  related  to 
various  civil  matters,  such  as  the  transfer  of  property,  guardians 
and  wards,  marriage  and  divorce,  and  to  criminal  law  and  pro- 
cedure. 

In  1893  Congress  provided  for  the  so-called  Dawes  Commission. 
The  purpose  of  this  Commission  was,  in  general,  to  make  various 
needed  adjustments  in  Indian  affairs.  The  Commission  settled  num- 
erous questions  of  tribal  relationship,  arranged  for  the  allotment  of 
tribal  lands  to  individuals,  and  adjusted  many  problems  of  the 
white  population  as  well. 


HISTORICAL    BACKGROUND  9 

A  very  important  act,  so  far  as  the  Indian  Territory  was  con- 
cerned was  that  of  June  28,  1898  (1),  which  enlarged  the  jurisdic- 

(1)      30  Stat.  L.  495. 

tion  of  the  Federal  Courts,  authorized  the  incorporation  of  towns 
and  cities  and  the  maintenance  of  schools1  therein,  further  extended 
the  application  of  the  Statutes  of  Arkansas,  discontinued  the  en- 
forcement of  tribal  laws  'by  the  courts  of  the  United  States,  abol- 
ished all  tribal  courts,  and  otherwise  provided  "for  the  protection 
of  the  people  of  the  Indian  Territory."  Following  this  act,  other 
legislation  was  enacted  from  time  to  time  until  the  Indian  govern- 
ments were  virtually  abolished  and  Federal  laws  put  into  operation. 

STATEHOOD. 

As  there  was  for  a  decade  or  more  continuous  agitation  for 
the  opening  of  the  unassigned  lands  in  what  came  to  be  Oklahoma 
Territory,  so  agitation  for  Statehood  was  incessant  through  a  rela- 
tively long  period.  Much  has  been  said  and  written  of  the  reasons 
why  Oklahoma  was  so  long  denied  admission  to  the  Union,  but 
with  these  we  are  not  concerned  here.  By  act  of  Congress  approved 
June  16,  1906  (1),  the  people  of  Oklahoma  Territory  and  the  Indian 

(1)     34  Stat.  L.  267. 

Territory  were  authorized  to  form  a  constitution  and  State  gov- 
ernment and  to  be  admitted  to  the  Union  as  the  State  of  Oklahoma 
"on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  States."  Accordingly,  del- 
egates to  a  constitutional  convention  were  elected  on  November  6, 
and  soon  thereafter  convened  and  remained  in  session  several 
months.  Finally  adjourning  in  July,  1907,  the  convention  by  ordin- 
ance submitted  the  constitution  to  the  people  at  an  election  to  be 
held  on  September  17  and  also  provided  that  State  officers  be  elect- 
ed at  the  same  time.  The  people  adopted  the  constitution  by  a 
large  majority  and  President  Roosevelt  issued  a  proclamation  de- 
claring Oklahoma  a  State  and  naming  November  16,  1907,  as  the 
date  when  the  State  government  should  be  inaugurated. 

Thus  ended  the  long  struggle,  first  for  the  ascendency  of  the 
White  man  in  the  Indian  country,  and  then  for  Statehood  along 
with  the  other  45  commonwealths  of  the  Nation.  Probably  no  other 
State  had  experienced  so  much  difficulty  in  reaching  that  goal; 
certainly  no  other  State  entered  the  Union  with  so  large  a  popula- 
tion— nearly  one  and  one-half  mllions.  The  State's  total  popula- 
tion was  1,657,155  in  1910,  and  2,028,283  in  1920. 


10  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

Aside  from  its  entry  into  the  Union  with  a  large  number  of 
inhabitants,  making  it  an  important  State  from  the  'beginning,  Okla- 
homa presented  on  its  admission  several  other  notable  features.  Of 
all  the  States,  it  contains  the  largest  and  most  important  Indian 
population,  the  peoples  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  being  almost 
wholly  within  its  borders.  A  second  feature  of  note  is  seen  in  the 
character  of  its  white  people;  few,  if  any,  new  States  have  drawn 
their  settlers  from  so  wide  an  area  or  so  many  different  parts  of 
the  country. 

The  character  of  its  development  had  a  marked  effect  upon  its. 
laws,  for  the  period  of  want  of  legally  organized  government  in  the 
western  half  and  the  existence  of  only  codes  of  Indian  laws  in  the 
east  left  little  opportunity  for  the  evolution  of  a  legal  system  out 
of  the  people's  own  experience.  In  consequence,  when  Congress 
finally  responded  to  the  need  for  a  Territorial  government,  it  was 
found  necessary  to  borrow  laws  directly  from  other  States ;  and 
thus  a  practice  was  begun  which  by  no  means  ended  with  the  pass- 
age of  the  "Organic  Act,"  and  which  to  the  present  time  marks  the 
State's  legal  system  with  siome  of  the  aspects  of  patchwork. 

The  Oklahoma  constitution  attracted  wide  attention  at  the 
time  of  its  adoption,  not  only  because  of  certain  "progressive  fea- 
tures," as  its  friends  doubtless  regarded  them,  but  also  because  of 
its  length  and  the  large  amount  of  detail  which  it  embodied.  With 
regard  to  the  former,  it  has  been  suggested  that  these  merely  repre- 
sent an  effort  of  the  people  to  make  sure  of  certain  guaranties  by 
writing  them  into  the  State's  organic  law  (1).  The  latter  character- 

(1)     See  "Comments  on  the  Constitution  of  Oklahoma,"  by  R.  L.  Owen.    Pro- 
ceedings of  the  American  Political  Science  Association,  1908,  p.   185. 

istic  simply  exemplifies  and  carries  further  the  tendency,  noticeable 
in  this  country  for  a  third  of  a  century  or  longer,  to  write  statutory 
matter  into  constitutions.  Oklahoma  put  a  mass  of  detail  into  its 
constitution  and  then  made  this  easy  for  the  people  to  amend. 

INDIAN  EDUCATION. 

The  beginning  of  grants  of  land  from  the  public  domain  for 
the  endowment  of  the  common  schools  represented  the  inauguration 
of  the  Federal  Government's -first  policy  with  respect  to  public  ed- 
ucation. Its  second  such  policy  is  seen  in  the  various  provisions 
which  it  has  made  for  the  education  of  dependent  peoples,  including 
Indians.  As  early  as  Revolutionary  times,  the  Continental  Congress 


HISTORICAL    BACKGROUND  11 

made  appropriations  for  such  purposes  as  hiring  teachers  for  cer- 
tain Indian  tribes  and  for  the  instruction  of  Indian  youth  at  Dart- 
mouth College,  but  the  Government  can  hardly  be  said  to  have  em- 
barked as  early  as  that  upon  a  plan  of  education  of  the  Red  Race. 

In  January,  1818,  the1 'House  Committee  on  Indian  Affairs  re- 
ported in  favor  of  the  "establishment  of  schools  at  convenient  and 
safe  places  amongst  those  tribes  friendly  to  us":  (1)  and  on  March 

(1)  American  State  Papers,  Indian  Affairs,  Vol.  II,  p.  151. 

3,  1819,  the  first  general  appropriation  for  Indian  education  was 
made  by  Congress,  (2)  the  appropriation  then  made  being  "the  an- 

(2)  3  Stat.     L.     516. 

nual  sum  of  $10,000."     By  act  of  July  9,  1832,  (3)  Congress  author- 

(3)  4  Stat.     L.     564. 

ized  the  President  to  appoint  a  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  who 
was  to  perform  his  duties1  under  the  direction  of  the  Secretary  of 
War,  (4)  and  in  1834  the  powers  of  the  Indian  Office  were  en- 

(4)  The  Indian  Office  remained  under  the  Secretary  of  War  until  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Department  of  the  Interior  in  1849,  when  it  was  transferred 
to  that  Department. 

larged.  (5)     Thus  were  made  the  beginnings  of  the  Governments 's 

(5)  4   Stat.     L.     729-38. 

system  of  Indian  education  which  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 
Usually,  in  making  treaties  with  the  various  tribes  and  nations,  the 
Government  made  some  provision  for  the  education  of  their  chil- 
dren, or  indicated  measures  looking  thereto,  and  the  appropriations 
made  by  Congress  for  the  "education  and  civilization"  of  the  Indian 
have  been  augmented  from  time  to  time  until  the  present  annual  to- 
tal is  more  than  $5,000,000. 

Even  'before  the  removal  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  from  their 
original  seats  in  the  Carolinas,  Georgia,  Tennessee,  Alabama  and 
Mississippi,  these  peoples  showed  considerable  interest  in  educa- 
tion. This  was  particularly  true  of  the  Cherokee  and  Choctaw  na- 
tions, which  at  that  early  time  maintained  a  few  schools  of  their 
own,  or  subsidized  those  established  by  missionaries1.  After  their 
removal  to  the  "West,  which  occurred  for  the  most  part  in  the  fif- 
teen-year period  beginning  with  1825,  the  Civilized  Tribes  continued 
the  development  of  their  civilization,  and  schools  and  churches  were 


12  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

not  infrequently  seen  among  the  other  marks  of  advancement.  But, 
with  the  devastation  of  the  Civil  war,  in  which  the  Indians  of  the 
Territory  were  largely  allied  withlhe  Southern  Confederacy,  dis- 
aster befell  them,  and  such  educational  systems  as  they  had  were 
practically  swept  away. 

After  the  close  of  the  War  and  on  the  conclusion  of  new  treat- 
ies, however,  one  of  the  first  things  to  which  the  Tribes  turned  their 
attention  was  the  rehabilitation  of  their  schools.  In  1886,  some  20 
years  after  the  conclusion  of  the  post-war  treaties,  many  schools, 
both  boarding  and  day,  were  maintained.  The  summary  given  be- 
low shows  something  of  the  extent  of  educational  facilities  among 
'the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  at  that  time  (1). 

(1)     See  Report  of  the  Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs  for  1886. 

Cherokee : 

Tribal  boarding  schools 3 

"Public"   schools    (day) 100 

Mission  schools  (exclusive  of  some  not  reporting) 7 

Choctaw : 

Tribal  Boarding  schools 3 

"Public"  schools  (day) 146 

High  schools 4 

Mission  school's (a) 

Chickasaw : 

Tribal  boarding  schools 4 

"Public"  schools  (day) 14 

Mission  schools (a) 

Creek : 

Tribal  boarding  schools 5 

"Public"  schools  (day) 22 

"Public"  schools  (colored) 6 

Mission  and  private  (exclusive  of  some  not  reporting).     6 
Seminole : 

"Public"  schools 4 

Mission  schools 2 

(a)     Some  maintained  but  not  reported. 

It  will  be  noted  that  these  schools  were,  in  general,  of  two 
classes:  First,  those  maintained  by  the  tribes  themselves,  and  sec- 
ond, those  maintained  by  missionary  endeavor.  The  tribal  schools 
were  often  let  out  under  contract  to  persons  who  agreed  to  conduct 


HISTORICAL   BACKGROUND  13 

them  as  stipulated,  and  on  the  other  hand,  mission  schools  some- 
times received  subsidies  from  tribal  funds.  The  settlement  of  the 
"plains  Indians"  in  the  western  section  of  the  Territory,  which 
took  place  within  the  ten-year  period  following  the  elos>e  of  the 
Civil  War,  led  to  the  establishment  of  mission  schools  and  Govern- 
ment schools  for  Indians  at  various  tribal  agencies  of  that  section. 
Generally  speaking,  the  policy  adopted  by  the  Federal  Govern- 
ment was  one  of  encouraging  the  tribal  schools  of  the  Indians  more 
advanced  in  civilization  and  of  providing  school  facilities  with 
Government  appropriations  where  the  Indians  were  uncivilized  or 
where  such  provision  was  otherwise  advisable.  On  the  organiza- 
tion of  Oklahoma  Territory  in  1890  and  the  contemporaneous  ex- 
tension of  Federal  authority  in  the  Indian  Territory,  the  Govern- 
ment's system  of  Indian  education  was  continued  and  remained 
practically  unchanged  as  to  policy  until  the  passage  of  the  "Curtis 
Act"  of  June  28,  1898  (1). 

(1)  30  Stat.     L.     495. 

This  Act,  to  which  reference  has  faeen  made  in  a  previous  para- 
graph, took  a  long  step  toward  the  abolition  of  tribal  governments 
and  the  consequent  transference  of  the  tribal  school  systems  to  the 
complete  control  and  supervision  of  Federal  agencies.  By  Act  of 
April  26,  1906,  (2)  the  Secretary  of  the  Interior  was  authorized  to 

(2)  24  Stat.     L,     140. 

assume  "control  and  direction"  of  the  schools  in  the  Five  Civilized 
Tribes,  "with  the  lands  and  all  school  property  pertaining  thereto," 
and  to  conduct  the  system  until  such  time  as  a  public  school  system 
should  be  established  under  a  Territorial  or  State  government,  and 
"proper  provision  made  thereunder  for  the  education  of  the  Indian 
children  of  said  Tribes."  Under  the  terms  of  this  Act  the  Secre- 
tary immediately  assumed  general  supervisory  control  of  the  Indian 
schools,  and  this  arrangement  continued  until  March  22,  1910,  when 
entire  charge  of  the  schools  was  assumed. 

It  should  be  o'bserved  that  the  admission  of  Oklahoma  as  a 
State  did  not  materially  affect  the  Government's  system  of  educa- 
tion for  the  Indians.  At  present,  the  Indian  children  may  be  re- 
garded as  falling  within  two  general  classes:  Namely,  those  who 
attend  the  public  schools  of  the  State,  and  those  who  attend  board- 
ing schools  conducted  for  them  by  the  Federal  Government,  the 
former  being  by  far  the  larger  number,  approximately  22,000,  as 


14  PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

compared  with  3,500  in  the  boarding  schools.  Those  of  the  former 
class,  whether  Government  wards  or  not,  are  generally  admitted  to 
the  pu'blic  schools1  under  existing  law  of  the  State,  (1)  but  inasmuch 

(1)      Oklahoma  Constitution,  Art.  1,  sec.  5. 

as  very  many  do  not  pay  taxes,  the  Federal  authorities  each  year 
have  rendered  considerable  pecuniary  assistance  to  the  public  school 
districts,  admitting  these  children. 

THE  STATE  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 

TERRITORIAL    PERIOD. 

The  Act  of  Congress  of  1890  organizing  the  Territory  of  Okla- 
homa extended  to  the  new  Territory  various  laws  of  Nebraska  in  so 
far  as  they  were  " locally  applicable"  and  provided  that  these 
should  remain  in  force  until  after  the  adjournment  of  the  first*  ses- 
sion of  the  Territorial  legislature.  Thus  the  Oklahoma  school  sys- 
tem received  a  distinctly  Western  flavor  at  the  beginning,  and 
Western  characteristics  have  continued  to  the  present  time. 

Prom  the  opening  of  the  unassigned  lands  in  1889,  Oklahoma 
Territory  was  settled  very  rapidly,  and  a  growing  need  of  schools 
was  soon  evident,  Prom  April  22,  1889,  when  the  first  lands  were 
opened  to  settlement,  to  May  2,  1890,  when  the  Territory  was>  organ- 
ized, no  legal  form  of  government  existed,  and  the  maintenance  of 
an  adequate  school  system  was  impossible.  However,  schools  main- 
tained by  subscriptions  or  like  means  were  organized  in  several  of 
the  towns.  The  Federal  act  organizing  the  Territory  empowered 
the  legislature  to  provide  for  a  school  system,  reserved  sections  16 
and  36  in  each  township  "for  the  purpose  of  being  applied  to  public 
schools  in  the  State  or  States  hereafter  to  be  erected,"  and  appro- 
priated $50,000  for  the  immediate  use  of  schools  to  be  established 
by  the  legislature.  The  school  lands  reserved  by  this  act  could 
not  be  sold,  but  Congress  by  Act  of  March  3,  1891,  authorized  their 
lease  for  the  'benefit  of  the  Territorial  School  System.  (1) 

(1)     26  Stat.     L.     1026. 

The  first  legislature,  which  was  in  session  in  1890-91,  passed 
a  detailed  school  law  making  the  township  the  local  unit  of  school 
organization,  providing  for  a  Territorial  board  of  education  and  for 
a  Territorial  superintendent  and  county  superintendents  of  schools, 
prescribing  a  system  of  certification  of  teachers,  and  otherwise 
setting  the  school  system  in  motion  under  Oklahoma  enactments. 
The  township  form  of  organization,  however,  remained  in  operation 


HISTORICAL    BACKGROUND  15 

only  two  years,  for  the  new  school  law  of  1893,  which  was  in  large 
measure  the  basis  of  the  present  school  code,  displaced  the  town- 
ship with  the  district  unit  of  local  control,  and  the  latter  has  re- 
mained to  the  present  time. 

It  was  in  the  Territorial  period  that  the  State 'si  system  of 
higher  education  had  its  principal  beginnings.  The  first  legisla- 
ture provided  for  the  establishment  of  the  State  University  at  Nor- 
man, the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  at  Stillwater,  and  a  ^ 
State  Normal  School  at  Edmond.  Other  normal  schools  were  es- 
tablished, respectively,  at  Alva,  in  1897,  and  at  Weatherford,  in 
1901.  The  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University  at  Langs- 
ton  was  established  in  1897.  The  University  Preparatory  School  at 
Tonkawa  came  into  existence  by  legislative  act  of  1901. 

What  may  be  regarded  as  the  Territorial  period  in  Oklahoma 
can  hardly  be  applied  to  the  Indian  Territory,  so  far  as  education 
was  concerned,  for,  as  we  have  already  seen,  the  want  there,  of  gov- 
ernmental organization  other  than  tribal,  rendered  the  maintenance 
of  a  proper  school  system  for  white  children  impossible.  The 
"Curtis  Act"  of  1898,  however,  authorized  the  incorporation  of 
town  and  the  maintenance  of  town  schools,  and  a  number  of  schools 
of  this  character  were  established,  but  for  the  rural  communities 
there  was  no  legal  provision  for  a  public  school  system  for  white 
children  up  to  the  time  of  the  State's  admission. 

THE  SCHOOLS  UNDER  STATEHOOD. 

The  Act  admitting  the  State  to  the  Union  included  several 
important  provisions  relating  to  education.  Foremost  among  these 
was  the  grant  of  sections  16  and  36  in  each  township  of  land  which 
had  been  "reserved"  for  school  purposes  by  the  "organic  act";  but 
this  grant  did  not  apply  to  the  land  of  the  Indian  reservations  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  State.  Consequently,  "in  lieu  of  sections 
16  and  36  and  other  lands  of  the  Indian  Territory,"  Congress  appro- 
priated $5,000,000  in  money  for  the  common  schools  o*  the  State  L 
and  provided  that  this  sum  should  be  a  part  of  the  permanent  school 
fund,  as  should  also  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  the  school  lands. 

For  the  benefit  of  the  higher  institutions,  tho  act  granted  sec- 
tion 13  in  each  township  of  certain  opened  Indian  reservations  and 
of  all  other  lands  opened  to  settlement  in  the  Territory  of  Oklahoma. 
These  lands  were  allotted  as  follows:  To  the  University  of  Okla- 
homa and  the  University  Preparatory  School,  one-third;  to  the 
normal  schools,  one-third;  to  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Col- 


16  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

lege  and  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University,  one- 
third.  (1)  A  grant  of  section  33,  previously  reserved  for  charit- 

(1)  For  statute,   see  Bunn's  Supplement,   1918,   sec.   7660. 

able  and  penal  institutions  and  public  buildings,  was  made,  and 
the  legislature  was  authorized  to  apportion  this  grant  as  it  saw 
fit  (2). 

(2)  The  legislature  in  1911  constituted  the  proceeds  of  these  lands  a  "Public 
building  fund,"  and  educational  institutions  have  from  time  to  time  re- 
ceived parts  of  this. 

A  third  important  land  grant  made  by  the  "Enabling  Act" 
was  that  "in  lieu  of  the  grant  for  purposes  of  internal  improve- 
ment" and  of  swamp  and  overflowed  lands,  which  was  made  for 
educational  institutions.  This  was  of  certain  specific  amounts  of 
land  without  regard  to  their  location  in  townships,  as  follows: 
The  University,  250,000  acres;  University  Preparatory  School,  150,- 
000  acres;  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  250,000  acres;  Col- 
ored Agricultural  and  Normal  University,  100,000  acres;  normal 
schools,  300,000  acres.  Moneys  derived  from  this  source  came  to  be 
known  as  the  "New  college  fund." 

Of  the  sixteenth  and  thirty-sixth  sections,  the  State  Depart- 
ment of  education  reported  1,413,862  acres  in  1918,  and  according 
to  the  same  report,  the  permanent  school  fund,  including  the  Con- 
gressional appropriation  of  $5,000,000,  then  amounted  to  $12,660,- 
811. 

The  "Enabling  Act"  also  contained  the  usual  provision  grant- 
ing an  amount  equal  to  5  per  cent  of  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of 
public  lands  within  the  State.     The  fund  thus  accruing  was  "to  be 
used  as  a  permanent  fund"  for  the  benefit  of  the  common  schools. 
LIMITATIONS  ON  TAX  LEVIES. 

The  State  Constituion  as  adopted  in  1907  contained  three  ar- 
ticles vitally  affecting  the  school  system.  These  were  Article  X, 
"Revenue  and  Taxation";  Article  XI,  "State  and  School  Lands": 
and  Article  XIII,  "Education".  The  provisions  relating  to  taxa- 
tion were  of  the  nature  of  maximum  limitations,  and  school  taxes 
were  subjected  to  the  limits  thus  fixed. 

The  total  permissable  State  levy  was  placed  at  3  1-2  mills  on  an 
ad  valorem  basis,  but  no  State  tax  specifically  for  school  purposes 
wa's  mentioned  in  this  connection.  A  county  tax  of  two  mills  was 
authoried  "for  county  high  school  and  aid  to  the  common  schools," 


HISTORICAL   BACKGROUND  17 

and  the  provision  was  added  that  not  over  one  mill  of  this  could  be 
used  for  high  school  purposes.  District  levies,  including  those  of 
town  and  city  districts,  were  authorized  up  to  15  mills,  and  an 
additional  ten-mill  levy  was  permitted  for  building  purposes. 

The  legislature  was  empowered  to  provide  for  poll  taxes  on 
voters  under  60  years  of  age,  but  has  never  exercised  this  power. 
An  amendment  to  the  Constitution,  ratified  in  1913,  provides  for  a 
tax  on  public  service  corporations,  and  directs  that  the  proceeds'  of 
this  tax  where  the  corporation  operates  in  more  than  one  county  be 
paid  into  the  State  common  school  fund;  but  the  legislature  has 
not  taken  the  necessary  action  to  give  effect  to  this .  amendment. 
In  this  connection,  it  may  be  noted  that  in  1909,  (1)  the  legislature 

(1)     Session  Laws  of  1909,  ch.  38,  p.  600. 

provided  for  a  State  school  tax  of  one-fourth  of  one  mill. 

Article  XI  of  the  Constitution  accepted  all  grants  of  land  and 
moneys  made  by  the  United  States  and  pledged  the  faith  of  the 
State  to  preserve  these  lands  and  moneys  and  the  proceeds  of  the 
sale  of  lands  as  a  sacred  trust  to  be  used  only  for  the  purposes  for 
which  they  were  granted. 

FREE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  FOR  ALL  CHILDREN. 

The  article  on  "Education"  directed  the  legislature  to  estab- 
lish and  maintain  a  system  of  free  public  schools  for  all  the  chil- 
dren of  the  State,  to  establish  and  maintain  institutions  for  the 
care  and  education  of  the  deaf  and  the  blind,  to  provide  separate 
schools  for  white  and  colored  children,  to  enact  school  attendance 
legislation  for  children  between  the  ages  of  8  and  16,  to  provide  for 
a  uniform  system  of  text  books,  and  for  instruction  in  the  common 
schools  in  agricultural  subjects  and  household  arts.  Another  pro- 
vision of  this  article  waJs  one  for  an  ex-officio  State  board  of  edu- 
cation to  have  the  "supervision  of  instruction  in  the  public  schools " 
and  to  retain  its  composition  as  then  prescribed  until  otherwise  pro- 
vided 'by  law. 

Some  other  important  educational  provisions  of  the  Constitu- 
tion were  those  respectively  vesting  the  control  of  the  Agricultural 
and  Mechanical  College  in  the  State  Board  of  Agriculture,  creating 
a  board  of  commissioners  of  the  Land  Office  to  have  charge  of 
school  and  other  State  lands  and  of  the  funds  derived  therefrom,  and 
providing  for  the  popular  election  of  a  State  superintendent  of  pub- 
lic instruction  and  a  county  superintendent  in  each  county. 


18  PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

ORGANIZATION  AND  EXPANSION. 

The  first  State  legislature  met  in  the  fall  of  1907,  and  continued 
in  session  until  the  spring  of  1908.  This  legislature  enacted  no  very 
fundamental  amendment  of  the  school  law  as  it  existed  under  ter- 
ritorial government  at  the  time  of  admission,  but  some  important 
additions  to  the  State's  educational  system  as  a  whole  were  made. 
These  included  provision  for  the  establishment  of  the  Industrial  In- 
stitute and  College  for  Girls.  (1)  The  School  of  Mines  and  Metal- 

(1)  This  institution  was  by  Act  of  March  27,  1909,  conditionally  located  at 
Chickasha,  and  in  1916,  its  name  was  changed  to  Oklahoma  College  for 
Women. 

lurgy,  at  Wilburton,  the  Oklahoma  School  for  the  Deaf,  the  Okla- 
homa School  for  the  Blind,  the  Whitaker  Orphans'  Home  at  Pry  or 
Creek,  and  an  orphans'  home  for  colored  children. 

It  may  be  noted  here  that,  with  the  establishment  of  the  college 
for  girls  and  the  school  of  mines,  the  system  of  State-supported 
higher  institutions  as  they  exist  at  present  was  practically  com- 
pleted, though  the  normal  schools  at  Ada,  Durant  and  Tahlequah 
were  not  provided  for  until  1909.  It  may  also  be  noted  that,  owing 
to  the  establishment  of  the  college  for  girls  and  the  school  of  mines 
after  the  admission  of  the  State,  these  institutions  received  no  Fed- 
eral land  grants. 

Among  other  noteworthy  enactments  of  the  first  State  legisla- 
ture was  the  Act  to  put  into  force  Section  7,  Article  XIII.  of  the 
Constitution,  which  requires  instruction  in  agricultural  subjects  and 
household  arts  in  the  common  schools,  and  to  provide  for  the  estab- 
lishment and  maintenance  of  courses  of  such  instruction  in  the  nor- 
mal schools,  and  for  the  establishment  of  agricultural  schools  of  sec- 
ondary grade  in  the  several  supreme  court  judicial  districts.  The 
four  district  agricultural  schools  existing  at  the  present  time  there- 
fore had  their  beginning  in  1908. 

The  act  to  provide  for  compulsory  school  attendance  of  chil- 
dren between  the  ages  of  8  and  16,  in  accordance  with  section  4  of 
Article  XIII  of  the  Constitution,  was  also  passed  by  the  first  State 
legislature. 

In  1909,  when  the  second  legislature  was  in  session,  an  Act  of 
March  8,  1901,  authorizing  the  establishment  of  a  county  high  school 
in  each  county  of  6,000  inhabitants  or  more  was  repealed,  but  there 
was  added  a  proviso  that  schools  already  organized  under  the  re- 
pealed act  should  not  be  affected.  An  important  bill  which  became 


HISTORICAL   BACKGROUND  19 

a  law  at  this  session  was  that  ' '  to  regulate  salaries  and  expenses  of 
county  superintendents."  This  provided  a  salary  schedule  for 
those  officers,  the  rates  of  pay  being  'based  on  the  population  of 
counties,  and  allowed  additional  amounts  for  clerk  hire  and  travel- 
ing expenses. 

Other  enactments  of  this  legislature  provided  for  the  establish- 
ment of  three  additional  State  normal  schools,  the  Eastern  Univer- 
sity Preparatory  School  at  Claremore,  an  institution  for  the  feeble- 
minded, and  an  institution  for  the  deaf,  blind,  and  orphans  of  the 
colored  race.  Under  the  head  of  "penal  institutions/'  the  volume 
of  session  laws  of  1909  contains  an  act  establishing  a  "State  train- 
ing school,"  an  institution  designed  primarily  for  delinquent  boys, 
'but  to  which  delinquent  girls  might  be  committed  until  such  time 
as  the  board  of  control,  with  the  approval  of  the  governor,  might 
cease  to  receive  girls.  Thus  was  made  the  beginning  of  the  State's 
system  of  correctional  institutions,  of  which  there  are  now  four. 
THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION. 

The  year  1911  was  an  epochal  one  for  education  in  Oklahoma. 
The  State's  educational  system  had  for  a  period  of  about  five  years 
been  in  the  making  under  Statehood,  and  all  branches  of  a  system 
such  as  is  generally  found  in  other  states,  from  the  University  down 
through  teacher-training,  correctional,  and  other  special  institu- 
tions to  the  common  schools,  had  been  provided  for  by  law.  There- 
after there  was  to  be  a  period  of  possible  expansion  and  develop- 
ment. 

An  important  feature  of  the  legislation  of  this  year  was  that 
the  marked  decentralization  of  control  of  educational  institutions 
and  affairs  now  begun  to  break  down.  The  Act  of  1911  which  was 
most  far  reaching  in  its  effect  was  that  "To  provide  for  a  State 
'board  of  education."  The  Constitution  had  created  an  ex-officio 
board  to  continue  until  otherwise  provided  by  law.  The  board 
created  by  this  act  was  to  be  composed  of  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  ex-officio,  and  six  members  appointed  by  the 
governor  for  overlapping  terms  of  six  years.  In  addition  to  having 
general  supervision  of  the  public  schools,  including  the  formulation 
of  courses  of  study  and  the  certification  of  teachers,  the  new  board 
succeeded  to  the  older  board  of  education,  the  text  book  commis- 
sion, the  regents  of  the  University,  the  regents  of  the  University 
Preparatory  Schools  at  Tonkawa  and  Claremore,  the  board  of  con- 
trol of  normal  schools,  the  regents  of  the  Industrial  Institute  and 


20  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

College  for  Girls,  the  regents  of  the  School  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy, 
the  regents  of  the  Colored  Agricultural  ana  isuiuia^  ^mvor^i/,  and 
the  boards  01  control  of  the  School  for  the  Deaf,  the  School  for 
the  Blind,  the  Boys'  Training  Schools,  the  Orphans'  Home,  the  In- 
stitution for  the  Feeble-minded,  and  the  Institute  for  the  Deaf, 
Blind  and  Orphans  Home  for  colored  children. 

Other  important  acts  of  the  legislature  of  1911  included  pro- 
vision for  a  bond  issue  of  $3,000,000  in  anticipation  of  the  growth 
of  the  " Public  building  fund"  derived  from  the  grant  of  section  33 
in  certain  townships  of  the  western  part  of  the  State,  provision  for 
the  maintenance  of  public  libraries  in  cities  of  over  2,000  inhabit- 
ants, the  creation  of  a  State-aid  fund  to  be  known  as  the  "  Union 
graded  and  consolidated  school  fund"  from  the  proceeds  of  section 
33  in  each  township  of  Greer  county,  and  an  act  making  it  the  duty 
of  district  boards  of  consolidated  districts  to  provide  transporta- 
tion for  pupils  living  1 1-2  miles  or  more  from  school. 

An  act  of  some  importance  in  the  legislation  of  1913  was  that 
which  added  to  the  "Union  graded  and  consolidated  school  fund" 
the  remainder  of  the  "Public  building  fund"  made  up  of  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  grant  of  lands  in  sections  numbered  33.  This  remaind- 
er was  not  to  include  amounts  necessary  to  meet  outstanding  obli- 
gations, and  the  sum  transferred  to  the  union  graded  and  consolidat- 
ed fund  was  to  be  used  only  to  assist  in  providing  buildings  in  con- 
solidated districts.  The  legislature  of  this  year  also  proposed  two 
amendments  designed  to  improve  the  system  of  school  support. 
One  of  these  proposals  sought  to  empower  the  legislature  to  levy  a 
State  school  tax  and  prescribe  the  manner  of  apportionment  and 
to  provide  State  aid  for  districts  unable  with  a  ten-mill  levy  to 
maintain  school  five  months;  but  this  amendment  failed  when  sub- 
mitted to  the  people.  The  second  proposed  amendment  provided 
that  the  tax  on  public  service  corporations  operating  in  more  than 
one  county  be  paid  into  the  State  distributive  school  fund.  This 
was  ratified  by  the  people,  but  the  legislature  has  never  passed  the 
necessary  supplementary  legislation. 

The  educational  legislation  of  1913  required  more  space  on  the 
printed  page  than  that  of  1911,  but  one  may  seriously  question 
whether  it  was  more  important.  Oklahoma  enacted  its  "new  school 
code"  in  1913,  but  this  was  marked  by  no  especially  progressive 
features  or  basic  changes  of  any  kind.  Some  of  its  important  omis- 
sions may  serve  to  indicate  its  general  character.  The  State's  share 


HISTORICAL   BACKGROUND  21 

of  the  burden  of  school  support  was  not  increased ;  the  school  term 
remained  too  short  as  under  older  laws;  school  attendance  was  re- 
quired for  only  66  per  cent  of  the  term;  district  boards'  were  left 
without  authority  to  provide  free  textbooks  for  any  except  indigent 
children;  provisions  for  schoolhouse  planning  and  the  construction 
of  rural  school  houses  in  particular  remained  inadequate;  high 
school  provisions  fell  considerably  short  of  the  need,  as  shown  by 
later  enrollment;  the  district  system  of  local  control  was  left  un- 
changed; the  sections  on  transportation  in  consolidated  districts 
merely  directed  the  school  board  to  furnish  conveyance  for  pupils 
living  more  than  two  miles  from  school;  the  want  of  authority  to 
maintain  school  libraries  was  still  evident  as  under  the  older  law. 

Coming  to  the  year  1915,  we  find  noteworthy  acts  relating  to 
high  schools  and  to  consolidated  school  districts.  The  former  act 
authorized  the  State  Superintendent  to  issue  teachers'  certificates 
to  graduates  of  the  district  agricultural  schools  and  fully  accredit- 
ed high  schools  where  the  courses  offered,  including  pedagogical 
training,  met  the  approval  of  the  Superintendent;  and  thus  teacher 
training  in  schools  of  secondary  grade  was  encouraged. 

Three  acts  related  to  consolidation  and  transportation.  By 
these  the  procedure  in  effecting  consolidation  was  revised.  State 
aid  was  extended  to  schools  with  two  teachers;  districts  were  auth- 
orized to  provide  conveyance  for  pupils  under  ten  years  of  age  re- 
siding less  than  two  miles  from  school,  the  requirement  of  convey- 
ance for  all  pupils  residing  more  than  two  miles  being  left  intact; 
and  union  graded  districts  were  authorized  to  provide  high  school 
work.  Another  act  of  1915  authorized  the  State  Superintendent 
to  issue  certificates  valid  for  teaching  in  high  schools  to  graduates 
of  approved  higher  institutions  of  learning.  The  establishment 
of  a  State  Training  School  for  delinquent  negro  'boys  was  author- 
ized in  this  year. 

At  a  special  session  of  the  legislature  held  in  1916,  a  "gross 
production  tax"  was  provided  for.  This  is  a  tax  on  the  produc- 
tion of  asphalt,  certain  metal-bearing  ores,  crude  oils,  and  natural 
gas.  The  proceeds  are  distributed  as  follows:  Two-thirds  for 
current  expenses  of  the  State  government,  one-sixth  for  roads  and 
bridges,  and  one-sixth  "in  aid  of  the  common  schools"  of  the 
-Bounties  in  which  it  accrues. 

School  laws  passed  by  the  legislature  of  1917  made  no  funda- 
mental change  in  the  State's  educational  system,  but  various  sub- 


22  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

jects  of  legislation  were  treated.  It  was  provided  that  no  district 
maintaining  school  less  than  three  months  should  receive  any  State 
or  county  school  funds;  and  another  act  repealed  the  act  of  1913 
which  transferred  to  the  "Union  graded  and  consolidated  school 
fund77  the  remainder  of  the  "Public  'building  fund." 

An  important  act  pertaining  to  higher  education  was  that 
which  authorized  certain  designated  institutions  to  confer  degrees 
and  empowered  the  State  Board  of  Education  to  approve  other 
institutions  for  degree-conferring  purposes.  Military  and  athletic 
training  was  provided  for  in  the  high  schools,  and  competitive 
drills  and  contests  were  authorized  under  the  supervision  of  a 
board  created  for  that  purpose.  The  provisions  of  the  "Smith 
Hughes  Act'7  of  congress  providing  for  the  promotion  of  vocation- 
al education  in  the  States  were  assented  to,  and  a  "State  Board 
of  vocational  education"  was  created.  This  legislature  provided  for 
the  establishment  of  two  more  correctional  institutions — one  for 
white  girls  and  one  for  colored  girls.  The  West  Oklahoma  Home 
for  White  Children  was  also  provided  for  in  1917,  the  Connell 
School  of  Agriculture  being  converted  into  this  home  for  Orphans. 

SEPARATE   BOARDS    OF    TRUSTEES   PROVIDED. 
As  the  year  1911  showed  a  marked  tendency  toward  central- 
ization  of  administrative   control   and   supervision   of  the   State's 
educational  system,  so  the  year  1919,  showed  a  tendency  back  to- 
ward decentralization.    For  every  State  institution  of  higher  learn- 
ing, excepting  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  which  re- 
mained  under   the    State   Board    of  Agriculture    and   the   normal 
•schools  which  the  State  Board  of  Education  retained,  a  separate 
board  of  regents  was  created;  and  the  Oklahoma  Military  Acad- 
emy (1)  and  the  School  of  Mines  at  Miami  which  were  established 

(1)     Prior  to  this  time,  the  Eastern  University  Preparatory  School. 

in  this  year  were  each  provided  with  its  own  administrative  board, 
as  was  also  the  University  Preparatory  School  at  Tonkawa.  Nor 
did  decentralization  stop  with  the  higher  or  academic  institutions. 
:a  "board  of  managers"  was  created  to  have  the  "general  manage- 
ment and  supervision"  of  the  State's  four  correctional  institutions, 
the  two  orphans'  homes  for  white  children,  and  the  Deaf,  Blind 
and  Orphans  Home  for  Colored  Children.  As  a  last  step  in  the 
decentralizing  process  the  State  Board  of  Public  Affairs  was  made 
the  board  of  control  of  the  Institution  for  the  Feeble-Minded. 
Thus  the  State  Board  of  Education,  which  had  for  eight  years  ex- 


HISTORICAL   BACKGROUND  23 

ercised  general  administrative  control  over  the  State's  entire  sys- 
tem of  educational  institutions,  was  now  left  with  only  the  normal 
schools  and  the  schools  for  the  blind  and  the  deaf  white  children. 

Legislation  of  1919  which  affected  the  public  schools  was  like- 
wise important;  some  new  phases  of  legislation  appeared  at  this 
time.  One  of  the  most  important  acts  of  the  new  group  was  that 
relating  to  the  construction  of  school  buildings.  It  fixed  certain 
standards  and  provided  that  all  school  houses  costing  more  than 
$400  must  conform  to  those  standards.  The  State  Superintendent 
was  directed  to  prepare  and  furnish  plans  in  accordance  with  this 
act. 

Other  acts  of  1919,  which  are  noteworthy  as  presenting  new 
phases  of  legislation  in  this  State,  were  the  teachers'  pension  law, 
providing  a  State  teachers'  retirement  and  disability  fund,  and 
the  continuation  school  law,  requiring  certain  districts  to  main- 
tain part-time  schools  or  classes,  and  making  attendance  thereon 
compusory  for  employed  minors  between  16  and  18  years  of  age 
and  with  educational  qualification  below  two  years  of  high  school 
work.  A  compulsory  attendance  law  of  this  year  requires  attend- 
ance of  minors  between  the  ages  of  16  and  18  unless  they  have 
completed  the  work  of  the  eighth  grade  and  are  lawfully  employed 
or  unless  the  work  of  the  high  school  has  been  completed,  but 
this  law  requires  attendance  for  only  two-thirds  of  the  term. 

The  County  high  school  again  made  its  appearance  in  Okla- 
homa law  in  1919.  An  act  of  that  year  authorized  any  county 
having  scholastic  population  less  than  2,000  to  establish  and  main- 
tain a  high  school. 

The  State's  system  of  aid  to  rural  schools  was  temporarily 
improved  in  1919  when  the  legislature  provided  out  of  general 
State  funds  additional  aid  amounting  to  $100,000  for  each  of  the 
fiscal  years,  1920  and  1921.  An  appropriation  of  $185,000  for  the 
same  purpose  was  made  by  the  legislature  of  1921  for  the  fiscal 
year  ending  on  June  30  of  that  calendar  year,  but  with  the  allow- 
ance then  extended  this  source  of  State  aid  for  rural  education 
was  discontinued. 

With,  the  adjournment  of  the  legislature  of  1919,  the  Okla- 
homa educational  system,  as  constituted  at  present  was  practically 
completed,  for  the  legislature  of  1921  effected  nothing  fundament- 
al in  the  system.  The  Panhandle  Agricultural  Institute  at  Good- 
well  was  raised  to  junior  college  grade,  and  a  few  other  acts  of 


24  PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

some  importance  was  passed,  but  on  the  whole  tne  legislature  left 
•the  schools  about  as  it  found  them.  A  constitutional  amendment 
proposed  by  this  legislature  would  raise  from  15  to  25  mills  the 
permissible  district  levy  for  school  maintenance,  but  the  Governor 
has  not  as  yet  (July  1922)  submitted  this  amendment  to  a  vote  of 
the  people. 

PRESENT  SYSTEM  IN  PERSPECTIVE. 
After  tracing  the  development  of  the   Oklahoma   educations 
system,  the  following  general  observations  are  suggested: 

1.  The   system  is  not  homogeneous.     As   one   studies   educa- 
tion in   Oklahoma,   the   impression   comes  that  many   of  its  parts 
"just  happened  that  way,"  or  that  they  came  into  existence  as 
matters  of  expediency.     True,  the  State  has  had  a  varied  career 
particularly  in  the  days  when  it  was  merely  the  Indian  Territory, 
"No  Man's  Land"  and  what  not;  and  its  population  comes  from 
various  races  and  various  lands,  but  with  15  years  of  Statehood 
now  in  history,  the  State's  School  system  still  displays  a  want  of 
homogenity  that  is  hardly  less  than  subsersive  of  the  best  in  educa- 
tional provision. 

2.  Closely   related   to  this   want   is   the  palpable   absence   of 
consistency   of  educational  policy.     As  an   example  of  this,  note 
the   trend   toward   centralization   of   educational   control   in   1911, 
;and  th,e  very  opposite  trend  eight  years  later.     Another  example 
is  seen  in  the  embarkation  upon  a  policy  of  maintaining  district 
agricultural  schools  of  secondary  grade,  and  the  conversion  later 
of  two  of  these  schools  into  institutions  of  other  types;  and  still 
another,  in  the  adoption  by  the  people  of  a  constitutional  amend- 
ment applying  to  the  schools  the  proceeds  of  a  tax  on  public  ser- 
vice corporations,  and  the  subsequent  failure  of  the  legislature  to 
make  this  tax  available  for  the  schools. 

3.  Oklahoma  is  one  of  the  few  States  in  which  the  State  as 
rsuch  contributes  very  little  toward  the  maintenance  of  its  common 
schools.     Of  the  total  school   funds  provided  by   State,   counties, 
and  local  districts,  the  State's  contribution  is  only  about  31-3  per 
cent.     And  when  Federal  contribution  is  considered,   it  is  found 
that  the  National  Government  is  paying,  through  land  and  money 
grants  heretofore  made,  more   than  three  times  as  much   as  the 
State  itself  pays  for  common  school  education  within  its  borders. 
This  comparison  is  only  the  more  striking  when  it  is  remembered 

'that  at  least  three  well  defined  efforts  have  been  made  in  Okla- 


HISTORICAL  BACKGROUND  25 

homa  to  increase  the  State's  share  of  the  burden  of  public  school 
support,  and  all  of  these  have  come  to  naught. 

4.  The  district  system  of  local  school  administration  is  seen 
in  Oklahoma  in  its  strongest  form.     Both  the  power  of  control  and 
the  burden  of  support  lie  heavily  on  the  district.     With  respect  to 
control,   every  local  community  is  allowed  wide  discretion.     Dis- 
trict taxes  are  limited  as  to  the  maximum  rate,  but  no  minimum  is 
fixed,  and  in  consequence  a  district  may  provide  a  very  short  school 
term,  in  fact,  may  receive  State  funds  for  a  term  as  short  as  three 
months  and  niggardliness  may  be  evinced  in  other  ways.     No  coun- 
ty board  is  given  administrative  functions  in  connection  with  the 
common  schools;  and  districts,  far  from  being  required  to  perform 
certain  important  functions  as  in  some  other  States,  are  not  even 
authorized  by  law  to  perform  them.    For  example,  free  textbooks 
for  other  than  indigent  pupils,  and  the  proper  care  of  the  health 
of  the  school  child,  are  not  provided  for  by  law.     As  regards  school 
support,   the  local   community   in    Oklahoma   is  paying   about   80 
per  cent  of  the  total  cost  of  its  school,  and  as  a  result  inequality 
of  educational  opportunity  obtains  in  the  State. 

5.  It  has  been  seen  that  the  Oklahoma  Constitution  contains 
numerous  provisions  that  might  have  been  left  to  statutory  law. 
Among  these,  as  many  authorities  on  school  administration  would 
hold,  is  the  provision  for  the  popular  election  of  the  State  Super- 
intendent of  Public  Instruction,  and  county  superintendents  in  the 
counties.  Under  the  Oklahoma  plan,  the  State  Superintendent,  an  of- 
ficer elected  'by  popular  vote,  and  therefore  subject  to  the  hazards 
and  influences  of  partisan  politics,  is  president  of  the  State  board 
of  education  and  head  of  the  State's  educational  system.     County 
superintendents,  likewise  elected  and  amenable  to  political  vicissi- 
tudes, have  no  county  administrative  boards  associated  with  them. 
The  State's  plan  of  school  administration  is,  therefore,  open  to  crit- 
icism as  lacking  proper  'organization  and  co-ordination. 

Under  the  circumstances,  the  Oklahoma  school  system  is  prob- 
ably as  good  as  should  have  been  expected;  that  it  is  not  so  good 
as  the  people  of  a  large  and  promising  State  should  wish  is  shown 
in  other  parts  of  this  report. 


CHAPTER  III. 
PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

THE  PRESENT   SITUATION.     . 

No  one  realizes  better  than  the  citizens  of  Oklahoma  them- 
selves that  the  financial  situation  of  the  pu'blic  schools  is  far  from 
satisfactory.  In  1920  the  people  of  Oklahoma  voted  on  a  pro- 
posed amendment  to  the  Constitution  which  would  have  authorized 
the  State  Board  of  Equalization  to  levy  not  to  exceed  six  mills'  tax 
on  all  property  of  the  State  for  the  support  of  the  public  schools. 
This  amendment  was  defeated.  In  1922  an  effort  was  made  to 
raise  the  present  constitutional  limit  of  15  mills  to  25  mills.  This 
amendment  was  lost.  What  is  the  present  situation?  From  every 
part  of  the  State  come  reports'  of  inadequate  funds,  shortened 
school  terms,  underpaid  and  untrained  teachers.  Over  against 
these  conditions  is  placed  the  fact  that  Oklahoma's  expenditures 
for  public  schools  during  the  last  decade  have  risen  by  leaps  and 
bounds1.  In  1910  Oklahoma  spent  approximately  $6,700,000  for 
public  schools.  In  1920  she  spent  more  than  three  times  as  much; 
namely,  $22,900,000.  In  1910  she  spent  approximately  $16  for 
each  child  enrolled  in  school;  in  1920,  approximately  $39.  In 
1910  she  had  invested  in  school  property  approximately  $13,000,000 
in  1920,  nearly  $36,000,000. 

Figure  2,  which  follows,  shows,  in  a  concrete  way  how  enor- 
mous this  increase  in  investment  and  expenditures  has  actually 
been.  Table  1  shows  the  same  facts  in  a  somewhat  different  form, 
together  with  the  per  cent  of  increase  in  each  item. 


26 


PROBLEMS   OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS 


27 


I 


28  PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

TABLE  1. 

Oklahoma's  Increase  in  Expenditure  and  Investment  for 

Public  Schools. 

1910—1920 

Expenditure          .  Value  of  Public  School 

Property 
Year  Total  Per  child  Total  Per  child 

enrolled  enrolled 

1920          $22,906,219  $38.87  $35,895,481  $61.00 

1910  6,739,216  15.95  13,310,040  32.00 

Increase__$16,167,003          $22.92  $22,585,441  $29.00 

Per  cent  of 

Increase-  239.9  143.7  169.7  90.6 

Ratio  of 
1920  to  1910 

3.40  2.43  2.70  1.91 

For  every  dollar  which  Oklahoma  spent  on  Public  Schools  in  1910 

she  spent  $3.40  in  1920. 

For  every  dollar  which  Oklahoma  invested  in  Public  School  prop- 
erty in  1910  she  had  $2.70  invested  in  1920. 

ABILITY  VERSUS  EFFORT  TO  PROVIDE  SCHOOLS. 

Table  3,  which  follows,  shows  for  the  year  1920-21  how  much 
Oklahoma  spent  for  all  types  of  public  schools,  rural  and  city,  col- 
ored and  white,  together  with  her  expenditures  for  maintaining'  the 
State  Department  of  Education,  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion, and  county  superintendents.  It  should  be  noted  that  many  of 
the  expenditures  included  in  these  last  three  items  do  not  appear  in 
the  amounts  shown  in  the  bienniel  reports  of  the  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction.  The  salaries  and  expenses'  of  county  superin- 
tendents are  paid  out  of  the  county  general  funds,  not  out  of  the 
school  funds.  A  number  of  appropriations  made  to  the  State  Board 
of  Education,  as  well  as  funds  derived  from  private  sources,  such 
as  the  General  Education  Board  and  Rosenwald  Fund,  are  not  in- 
cluded in  the  ordinary  statements.  In  table  3,  however,  all  moneys 
devoted  to  public  schools,  from  whatever  source  derived,  are  in- 
cluded. 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS 


29 


TABLE  2. 

Public  School  Expenditures  in  Oklahoma. 
1920  -  1921 

All  schools,  rural  and  city,  colored  and  white;  and  all 
superintendents'  offices,  state,  county  and  city. 


Elementary  High 

General  control 
Instructional 

Service $13,871,477.17 

Operation  of 

Plant 1,492,060.13 

Maintenance  of 

Plant 1,272,287.03 

Fixed  Charges: 

Bent  &  Insurance     263,370.22  50,077,99 

Capital  Outlay     2,149,924.72       1,856,956.21 

Auxiliary 

Agencies  _  762,657.01 


Amount     Per  cent 
$1,026,449.72      3.76 


$3,045,837.13  16,917,314.30  53.83 
345,897.95  1,837,958.08  5.84 
195,883.40  1,468,170.43  4.71 


313,448.21 
4,006,880.93 


.99 
12.75 


963,649.74      3.16 


200,992.73 
Total $26,778,094.64 

Debt  service  (Int.  and  reserve) 4,642,136.84     14.96 

Grand  Total $31,420,231.48  100.00 

ABILITY  VERSUS  EFFORT  TO  PROVIDE  SCHOOLS. 
Figure  2  and  the  two  preceding  tables  show  not  only  that  Ok- 
lahoma is  spending  a  large  amount  of  money  for  public  schools,  but 
that  she  has  made  vast  increase  in  expenditures  during  the  last 
eleven  years.  In  view  of  the  unsatisfactoriness  of  the  situation 
and  the  conditions  now  confronting  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  dis- 
tricts throughout  the  State,  a  question  far  more  important  than 
how  much  Oklahoma  has  increased  her  expenditures  for  public 
schools  is  how  does  the  amount  compare  with  her  ability  to  provide 
school  revenue.  Is  the  financial  crisis  which  the  public  schools  are 
facing  inevitable?  Is  Oklahoma  exerting  herself  to  the  full  meas- 
ure of  her  ability  ? 

The  ability  of  a  State,  a  county,  or  a  district  to  provide  schools 
does  not  depend  chiefly  upon  its  total  assessed  valuation.  If  two 
districts  each  have  a  valuation  of  $20,000,  and  one  of  these  districts 
has  to  educate  50  children,  and  the  other,  150  children,  it  is  easy  to 
see  it  would  be  very  unfair  to  consider  them  equally  able  to  pro- 
vide schools  of  the  same  standard.  One  of  these  districts  ought  to  pro- 
vide at  least  two  teachers,  the  other,  at  least  six,  allowing  twenty- 


30  PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

five  pupils  per  teacher.  For  this  reason,  it  is  customary  to  take  as 
the  measure  of  the  ability  of  a  .State,  a  county,  or  a  school  district  to 
provide  schools  its  wealth  per  child.  We  may  regard  the  wealth 
of  the  state,  county  or  district  as  a  bank  account  upon  which  it  may 
draw  for  the  support  of  public  schools,  and  the  wealth  per  child  as 
the  bank  account  upon  which  it  may  draw  for  the  education  of  each 
child. 

OKLAHOMA  COMPARED  WITH  OTHER  STATES. 

One  way  of  answering  the  question  whether  Oklahoma  is  exert- 
ing herself  in  proportion  to  her  ability  is  to  compare  her  with  other 
States.  In  making  such  a  comparison  it  would,  of  course,  be  thor- 
oughly unsound  to  take  the  assessed  valuation  as  a  measure,  for  in 
some  States  the  assessed  valuation  represents  the  actual  selling 
price.  (That  is,  100  per  cent  of  the  true  valuation)  of  property. 
In  other  States  property  is  assessed  at  60  per  cent,  and  in  still  others 
at  30  per  cent,  and  even  20  per  cent  of  true  value.  For  this  reason 
we  shall  take  the  estimated  true  wealth  per  child  of  school  age  as  a 
measure  of  ability.  As  a  measure  of  effort  we  shall  take  the  amount 
expended  for  public  schools  on  each  $1.000  of  true  estimated  wealth. 
STATES  SELECTED  FOR  COMPARISON 

The  question  at  once  arises,  with  which  States  in  the  Union 
ought  Oklahoma  to  be  compared? 

Oklahoma  entered  the  Union  less  than  twenty  years  ago,  and 
was  given  a  vast  endowment  in  lands  and  moneys,  for  supporting 
public  schools.  This  endowment  has  steadily  increased.  Moreover, 
from  the  start  she  has  believed  whole  heartedly  in  public,  universal 
education,  and  has  had  no  battle  to  fight  against  organized  opposi- 
tion to  the  public  school  idea.  In  view  of  all  these  facts,  we  may 
say  that  there  is  only  one  satisfactory  basis  upon  which  vre  may 
make  our  selection  of  States/  for  comparison :  Namely,  ability  to 
provide  school  revenues,  as  represented  by  estimated  true  wealth 
per  child,  5  to  18  years  of  age.  On  this  nasis  Oklahoma  ranks 
twelfth.  Professor  F.  F.  Blachly  of  the  University  of  Oklahoma 
in  his  monograph  The  Financial  System  of  the  State  of  Oklahoma, 
Chapter  .1,  shows  that  Oklahoma  ranks  fourth  as  to  estimated  wealth 
per  capita  of  total  population  and  that  25  States  had  a  greater  net 
debt  per  capita. 

In  Table  3,  which  follows,  Oklahoma  is  compared  with  six 
other  States  which  rank  respectively,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  and  18,  as  to 
estimated  true  wealth  per  school  child. 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS  31 


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32  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

From  Table  3  we  see  that  in  the  group  of  seven  States,  among 
which  Oklahoma  ranks  first  as  to  ability  to  provide  school  revenues-, 
she  ranks  seventh  as  to  the  effort  she  is  making;  seventh  as  to  the 
amount  of  money  she  is  expending  on  each  child  enrolled;  seventh 
as  to  the  per  cent  of  population  5-18  years  of  age,  who  are  attending 
school ;  and  seventh  as  to  the  average  number  of  days  attended  by. 
each  pupil  enrolled.  In  all  these  respects  she  ranks  at  the  very 
bottom  of  the  scale.  Indeed,  she  ranks  lowest  in  every  item  except 
one;  namely,  the  average  annual  salary  of  teachers,  and  in  this  re- 
spect she  ranks  next  to  the  lowest. 

It  is  evident  that,  in  proportion  to  her  ability,  Oklahoma  is  mak- 
ing far  less  effort  than  other  States  in  the  Union  with  which  she 
ought  to  be  compared.  Let  it  be  borne  in  mind  that  every  State  with 
which  we  have  compared  her  ranks  lower  in  ability,  as  well  as  high- 
er in  effort  and  results.  Let  us  now  ask  the  same  question  regard- 
ing Oklahoma  when  compared  with  the  United  States  as  a  whole. 
Table  4  answers  this  question. 

TABLE  4. 

Where  Oklahoma  Stands  Among  the  48  States  as  to 
Ability,  Effort,  and  Results  (1920) 

Ability  Rank  in  United  States. 

Estimated  true  wealth 

Per  child  (a) $12,468  12 

Per  capita  (b)____ 3,821  14 

Effort 

Expenditure  for  Education  for  each  $1,000 

of  the  estimated  true  wealth 2.88  42 

Amount  expended  per  child  enrolled 38.87  34 

Value  of  school  property  per  child  enrolled, 

5-18  years 61.00  37 

Results  Rank  in  United  States 

Per  cent  of  population,  5-18  years  attending 

schools 72.5  33 

Per  cent  of  enrollment  in  average  daily  at- 
tendance              60.4  48 

Average  number  of  days  attended  by  each 

pupil  enrolled 100.5  38 

(a)  5-18  years. 

(b)  Total  population,  1919. 


PROBLEMS   OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS  33 

From  Table  4  we  see  that  whereas  Oklahoma  ranks  twelfth  in 
the  United  States  with  respect  to  her  ability  to  provide  school  rev- 
enue, she  ranks  forty-second  as  to  her  expenditure  for  each  $1,000 
of  estimated  true  wealth;  thirty-fourth  as  to  the  amount  which  she 
expends  per  child  enrolled;  and  thirty-seventh  as  to  the  value  of 
her  school  property  per  child  enrolled.  In  education,  as  in  other 
stable  enterprises,  we  get  what  we  pay  for.  This  statement  is 
borne  out  by  the  results  which  Oklahoma  secures,  for  we  discover 
that  with  respect  to  the  percent  of  population  which  is  attending 
school  she  ranks  thirty-third  in  the  Union;  thirty-eighth  as  to  the 
average  number  of  days  attended  by  each  pupil;  and  forty-eighth, 
or  lowest,  as  to  the  per  cent  of  enrollment  which  is  in  average  daily 
attendance. 

EQUALITY  IN  EDUCATION. 

Every  great  American  Democrat,  from  Thomas  Jefferson  to 
Woodrow  Wilson,  has  insisted  that  without  a  system  of  free  uni- 
versal education,  democracy  is  doomed.  Equality  in  education  is  a 
brief,  but  accurate  statement  of  the  supreme  educational  purpose 
of  every  State  in  our  union. 

Even  approximate  equality  in  education  can  never  be  secured 
throughout  a  State,  until  school  revenues,  and  school  burdens  are 
equalized. 

The  extent  to  which  school  revenues  are  equalized  will  depend 
upon  at  least  three  things :  First,  the  equality  in  ability  of  the  local 
units  which  furnish  the  revenues  (In  Oklahoma  districts  and  Coun- 
ties) ;  Second,  the  comparative  effort  made  by  such  local  units  to 
provide  revenues;  and,  third,  the  extent  to  which  the  State  evens 
out  inequalities  in  ability  and  effort  existing  among  the  local  units. 

"We  must  pause,  therefore,  at  this  point  to  consider  briefly  the 
situation  with  regard  to  these  factors  in  Oklahoma. 

CONDITIONS  IN  NINE  REPRESENTATIVE  COUNTIES. 

In  order  to  gain  an  accurate  idea  of  the  actual  conditions  an 
intensive  study  was  made  of  nine  representative  counties.  These 
counties  were  selected  on  the  basis  of  their  ability  to  provide  school 
revenues;  i.  e.,  on  a  basis  of  wealth  per  school  child  in  average  daily 
attendance. 

The  counties  selected  include  the  three  richest,  three  poorest, 
and  three  of  middle  rank,  as  measured  by  their  wealth  per  child. 

S.  S.  2 


34  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

Table  5  shows  the  nine  counties  selected,  the  wealth  per  child, 
and  the  rank  of  each  county  among  Oklahoma's  77  counties  on  the 
basis  selected. 

TABLE  5. 
Nine  Representative  Oklahoma  Counties. 

(Selection  based  on  ability  to  provide  school  revenues.) 

Wealth  Per  Child  or 
Ability  to  Provide  Schools. 

Rank  among 
State's   77 

County  Amount  Counties 

Cimarron $10,039.00  1 

Grant 9,022:00  2 

Alfalfa 7,268.00  3 

Cotton 3,985.00  38 

Kiowa   3,571.00  39 

Carter  .  3,284.00  40 

lieFlore 2,233.00  75 

McCurtain   1,982.00  76 

Haskell 1,590.00  77 

Table  5  shows  us  that  Cimarron  County  is  more  than  live  times 
as  able  to  provide  school  revenues  as  McCurtain,  six  times  as  able  as 
Haskell,  and  nearly  three  times  as  able  as-  Kiowa.  In  view  of  these, 
and  other  wide  variations  revealed  by  Table  5,  it  would  be  reason-- 
able to  expect  that  the  expenditures -for  public  schools  would  vary 
widely  also. 

This  expectation  is  borne  out  by  the  facts,  thus :  Whereas, 
Cimarron  County  spends  $97.00  for  every  child  in  average  daily  at- 
tendance; McCurtain  County  and  Haskell  spends  approximately 
$35.00;  Carter  County  $71.00;  Kiowa  County  $43.00;  and  Cotton 
County  $40.00. 

It  would  seem  reasonable,  also,  to  assume  that  the  expenditure 
for  public  schools  in  various  counties  would  be  directly  proportioned 
to  their  wealth.  How  far  this  is  from  being  the  case  is  discovered 
as  soon  as  we  turn  our  attention  to  this  point.  Thus,  Carter  Coun- 
ty, which  in  our  group  of  nine,  ranks  sixth  as  to  ability,  ranks  fourth 
as  to  its  expenditure  per  child ;  Grant  'County  which  ranks  second 
as  to  ability,  ranks  third  in  expenditures,  'and  is  almost  equaled  by 
Carter  County. 


PROBLEMS   OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS 


35 


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~      O' 


D 


I 


Figure  3  shows  how  these  nine  counties  compare  in  the  year 
1922,  with  respect  to  their  wealth  per  child  in  average  daily  attend- 
ance, and  their  total  expenditure  per  child. 


Xfi 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


I    I    I    I    I       I    I    I    I 


o    o  o  o 

80  o  o 

o  o  o 

Of      <f      t—"  O  ^ 


o     o    o 

80 
o 


In  Figure  4  we  have  two  upright  bars  for  each  county.  The 
first  of  these  bars  represent  the  county's  wealth  per  child  in  average 
daily  attendance;  i.  e.,  it's  ability  to  provide  school  revenues.  The 
second  bar  represents  the  average  school  tax  levied  by  the  district 
within  the  county. 

From  Figure  4  we  see  that,  with  the  exception  of  Cimarron 
County  and  Carter  County  as  ability  (i.e.  wealth)  decreases  effort 
(i.  e.  the  average  tax  rate)  increases.  The  situation  in  Carter  Coun- 
ty is  due  to  the  fact  that  she  receives,  from  the  gross  production 
tax  on  oil,  nearly  $15.00  per  child. 


PROBLEMS   OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS 


37 


u 


if)  u 


Figure  5  enables  us  to  compare  even  more  accurately  the  ef- 
forts to  provide  school  revenues,  which  are  being  put  forth  by  these 
nine  counties. 


38  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

EXTREMES  OF  TAX  LEVIES  FOR  SCHOOL  PURPOSES. 

From  Figure  5  we  see  that  one  district  out  of  each  one-hundred 
districts  in  Grant  County  levies  no  school  tax  whatever ;  in  Cimarron 
and  Cotton  two;  and  LeFlore  eight.  Only  three  out  of  each  one- 
hundred  districts  in  Grant  County  levy  a  tax  of  more  than  ten  mills, 
whereas,  in  the  three  poorest  counties  in  the  State — McCurtain,  Le- 
Flore and  Haskell — we  discover  eighty-five  out  of  each  one-hundred 
in  McCurtain;  sixty  out  of  each  one-hundred  in  LeFlore;  and  eighty- 
six  out  of  each  one-hundred  in  Haskell.  The  climax  of  the  situation 
is  reached  in  Haskell  County  where  forty-two  districts  out  of  each 
one-hundred  exceed  the  lawful  limit  of  fifteen  mills.  The  fifteen 
mill  limit  is  exceeded  in  certain  other  counties  as  well,  and  this  is 
probably  due  to  including  in  the  computation  levies  for  interest 
charges  and  sinking  funds. 

THE  5roRY  or  OKLAHOMA'S  SCHOOL  BURDENS 

TOLD  IN  NINE  CHAPTERS 
(RURAL  AND  VILLAGE  DISTRICTS  ONLY) 
-As  WEALTH  DECREASES  vDcnooL  TAXES  INCREASE  - 


6.4  mills        9.5miib      74  milb 


ZXTmilb 


1  County         6  Counties     D  Counties     7  Counties   1£  Counties 
Gorfield 

14 .5  milb 


6Gounfi€5       fclGountfes          TCounto         t  Counties 
\ 

Average  Dbfrict  Levy     Typical  \&luation  per  Child 
in  Milb  in  Average  Daily  Attendance 

FIGURE  6 


PROBLEMS   OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS  39 

The  complete  story  of  Oklahoma  school  burdens  is  told  in  nine 
chapters  in  Figure  6. 

Figure  6  shows  the  counties  of  Oklahoma  arranged  in  nine 
groups.  The  small  white  square  represents  the  average  valuation 
per  child  of  counties  included  in  each  group.  Resting  on  each 
square  is  a  figure  representing  the  average  school  tax  levied  by  rur- 
al and  village  districts  of  the  counties  included  in  the  group.  The 
lowest  tax  is  that  levied  in  Garfield  County,  which  has  the  highest 
valuation  per  child  of  all  the  groups.  Turning  to  the  second  chap- 
ter of  our  story  we  find  six  counties  with  the  average  valuation  per 
child  of  $6,500.00.  The  average  tax  levied  by  districts  in  these  coun- 
ties is  5.1  mills.  From  this  point  on,  with  the  exception  of  the  fifth 
chapter,  the  story  is  the  same.  The  lower  the  valuation,  i.  e.,  the 
less  the  ability,  the  heavier  is  the  burden,  which  must  be  borne  un- 
der Oklahoma's  present  system  of  school  finance. 

CONDITIONS  IN  SCHOOL  DISTRICTS. 

We  have  seen  how  enormous  are  the  inequalities  among  coun- 
ties as  to  wealth,  expenditures,  and  taxation  for  public  schools.  The 
situation  is  even  worse  among  the  districts  within  the  counties. 
This  will  be  discovered  by  comparing  the  richest  and  poorest  school 
districts  in  counties  which  we  have  already  compared  with  one  an- 
other. The  reports  of  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
group  Oklahoma  school  districts  into  two  general  classes.  First: 
Rural  and  village  districts;  Second:  Independent  districts. 

Figure  7  shows  how  the  richest  and  poorest  rural  school  dis- 
tricts in  five  Oklahoma  Ceunties  compare  in  the  year  1921-22,  as  to 
ability  to  support  schools,  i.  e.,  wealth  per  child,  and  as  to  the  ef- 
fort they  made  to  provide  schools,  as  measured  by  the  district  school 
tax. 


40 


PUBLIC   EDUCATION   IN    OKLAHOMA 


g     2 


PROBLEMS   OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS 


41 


TABLE  6. 

Oklahoma  Counties  Arranged  in  Nine  Groups  on  Basis  of  Valuation 

Together  with  Average  District  Tax  Rate  Levied  by  Common 

School  Districts  in  Each  Group. 


Group 
1 
2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 


Number  of 
Counties 

1   (Garfield) 

6 
13 

7 
12 

8 
21 

7 

2 


Typical  Valuation         Average 

per  Child  District 

of  Counties  Tax  Rate 

in  Group  A  (Mills) 

$7,200  3.7 

6,500  5.1 

5,200  6.4 

4,600  9.5 

4,500  7.4 

3,800  8.6 

3,200  11.8 

2,600  10.5 

2,200  14.5 

(A)     Valuation   employed   here    is   the   approximate   median   valuation. 

Figure  7  shows  that  whereas  the  Tichest  rural  district  in  Grant 
County  has  $82,000  back  of  each  school  child,  the  poorest  has  only 
$3,000.  In  1922  the  richest  district  in  this  county  levied  a  tax  of  5 
mills;  the  poorest  levied  a  tax  of  more  than  9  mills.  In  Kiowa 
County  the  richest  district  has  back  of  each  child  $20,000  and  levies 
a  tax  of  less  than  5  mills ;  the  poorest  has  back  of  each  child  only 
$2,000  and  levies  a  tax  of  15  mills. 

It  is  in  Haskell  County  again  where  we  find  the  heaviest  tax 
rate  levied.  The  richest  district  in  Haskell  County  has  back  of 
each  child  only  $7,000,  yet,  levies  a  tax  of  21  mills ;  the  poorest  has 
back  of  each  child  only  $1,000,  yet,  levies  a  tax  of  16  mills.  It  is 
unnecessary  to  prolong  our  discussion  of  Figure  7,  the  facts  are  too 
evident  to  need  enlarging  upon. 

Attention,  however,  may  well  be  called  to  at  least  one  more  sit- 
uation. The  richest  district  in  Grant  County  is  eighty-two  times  as 
able  to  provide  school  revenues,  as  the  poorest  in  Haskell  County, 
yet,  it  levies  a  tax  of  less  than  one-third  the  rate  levied  by  this  poor- 
est of  all  districts. 


42 


PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 


That  there  is  little  reason  to  believe  the  situation  any  better  in 
independent  school  districts,  is  shown  by  the  story  of  eight  inde- 
pendent school  districts,  told  in  Figure  8. 


PROBLEMS  OP  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  43 

CAUSES  OF  OKLAHOMA'S  EDUCATIONAL  BACKWARDNESS. 

Space  does  not  permit  us  to  continue  further  our  account  of 
county  and  district  inequalities  in  ability  and  effort  to  provide 
schools.  We  have  seen  that  this  fair  and  wealthy  State  cannot 
stand  comparison  with  many  States  of  less  wealth,  States  which 
every  loyal  citizen  would  claim  Oklahoma  ought  to  outclass  in  edu- 
cational achievements.  More  than  this,  we  have  seen  that  com- 
pared with  the  United  States  as  a  whole  Oklahoma  ranks  very  low 
as  to  the  per  cent  of  her  school  population  which  is  actually  attend- 
ing school  (33d),  lower  still  with  respect  to  the  average  number  of 
days  attended  by  each  pupil  enrolled  (38th),  and  the  lowest  in  the 
Union  with  respect  to  the  percentage  of  enrollment  which  is  in  av- 
erage daily  attendance. 

Let  us  now  ask  what  are  the  chief  causes  of  this  deplorable 
educational  situation.  We  answer  without  a  moment's  hesitation: 
(1)  A  defective  system  of  taxation.  (2)  A  system  of  school  fin- 
ance which  makes  it  absolutely  impossible  to  provide  adequate 
school  funds.  (3)  The  district  system.  (4)  An  unscientific 
method  of  apportioning  the  State  funds,  which  ignores  both  the 
ability  and  the  effort  of  the  local  units. 

In  1920  Oklahoma  ranked  twelfth  with  respect  to  her  wealth 
per  child.  In  that  same  year  she  spent  for  each  child  in  average 
daily  attendance  $64.00,  and  ranked  thirtieth.  Had  she  ranked 
twelfth  with  respect  to  expenditures1  as  well  as  wealth  it  would 
have  been  necessary  for  her  to  spend  $90.00  per  child,  instead  of 
$64.00. 

There  is  not  a  State  in  the  Union  which  can  provide  adequate 
school  facilities  under  a  system  which  depends  for  three-fourths  of 
her  revenue  upon  school  districts,  and  which  limits  the&e  districts 
to  a  15  mill,  or  even  a  30  mill  tax. 

NON-TAXABLE   INDIAN   LANDS   AN  IMPORTANT   FACTOR. 

The  difficulty  of  the  situation  is  greatly  increased,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  there  are  within  the  State  of  Oklahoma  approximately  6,- 
700,000  acres  of  land  owned  by  unnaturalized  Indians,  and  which 
lands  therefore  are  not  subject  to  taxation.  It  is  estimated  that  a 
levy  of  10  mills  on  these  lands  (the  average  rate  of  school  tax  for 
1922)  would  produce  an  annual  revenue  of  $1,228,000.  The  paltry 
sum,  ten  cents  per  day,  paid  by  the  United  States  government  for 


44  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

the  tuition  of  Indian  children  attending  public  schools,  does  not 
meet  the  actual  costs  of  such  tuition.  Moreover,  the  federal  appor- 
tionment is  so  inadequate  that  it  has  been  necessary  during  the  past 
year  to  pro  rate  it,  with  the  result  that  in  Eastern  Oklahoma  the 
second  quota  amounted  to  approximately  five  cents  per  day,  instead 
of  ten  cents.  Oklahoma  should  take  steps  at  once  to  secure  from 
the  federal  government  an  appropriation  which  will  adequately  re- 
imburse her  for  the  revenue  of  which  her  schools  are  being  deprived 
under  the  existing  system.  It  is  hardly  conceivable  that,  if  the  facts 
were  laid  before  Congress,  that  that  body  would  refuse  to  recognize 
the  federal  government's  obligation. 


DEFECTS  OF  DISTRICT  ORGANIZATION. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  that  one  of  the  chief  causes  of  Oklaho- 
ma's deplorable  educational  situation  is  the  district  system.  We 
may  well  add  that  the  district  system  is  the  most  important  of  all 
these  causes,  and  is  also  the  fundamental  defect  underlying  all 
others.  That  Oklahoma's  system  of  school  support  is  essentially 
a  district  system  is  shown  by  Figure  9  and  Table  8,  which  follow, 
and  which  show  that  in  1921  the  school  districts  in  Oklahoma  fur- 
nished '$77.00  out  of  every  $100.00  provided  for  public  schools. 

TABLE  8. 
Annual  Receipts  for  Oklahoma  Common  Schools  1920-21 

Funds                                                    Amount  (a)  Per  Cent  (b) 

Federal $      322,151.56  1 

.State 2,125,399.10  9 

County 3,201,492.50  13 

District    18,831,736.53  77 

Private 10,125.00  Less  than  5-100 

of  1  per  cent  (c) 
Total $24,490,904.69 

(a)  Compiled  upon  basis  of  unpublished  data  furnished  by  State  Department 
of  Education. 

(b)  Computed. 

(c)  Approximately  0.04  per  cent. 


PROBLEMS  OP  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 

WHERE  EACH  ^100  TOR  OKLAHOMA'S 
PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  CAME  FROM  IN  19ZO-19Z1 


federal 
Government, 


FIGURE  9 


There  are  in  Oklahoma  at  the  present  time  over  5,000  rural 
school  districts  and  nearly  300  independent  districts.  It  would  be 
almost  impossible  to  think  of  a  more  cumbersome  system,  or  one 
which  by  its  very  nature  would  breed  and  perpetuate  greater  in- 
equalities of  every  sort.  Not  only  do  these  districts  vary  greatly  in 
size  and  in  wealth,  but  they  vary  greatly  also  in  their  intelligence 
respecting  the  importance  of  education,  their  zeal  for  the  same,  and 
their  desire  to  support  schools. 


46  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

Under  Oklahoma's  present  district  system  communities  which 
so  desire  may  refrain  from  voting  any  school  district  tax  whatso- 
ever, and  need  maintain  no  school.  This  is  the  actual  situation 
which  is  found  every  year  in  certain  districts.  We  have  seen,  more- 
over, that  wealthy  districts  levy  in  many  cases  exceedingly  low 
taxes,  whereas  the  poorest  districts  in  some  counties  levy  taxes  ex- 
ceeding the  limits  established  by  law.  Again  we  discover  these 
poorest  of  districts,  which  desire  to  provide  good  schools,  have  so 
little  wealth  to  draw  upon,  after  having  exerted  themselves  to  the 
utmost  of  their  a'bility,  are  utterly  unable  to  provide  good  schools. 

Table  9  shows  the  school  term  of  5,014  village  and  rural  white 
districts  in  the  year  1921;  the  number  of  districts  maintaining 
school  sessions,  varying  all  the  way  from  three  to  ten  months;  and 
the  per  cent  of  the  total  number  of  districts  maintaining  schools 
within  the  limits  indicated. 

TABLE  9. 

School  Term  of  5,014  Oklahoma  Village  and  Rural  White  District 
Schools  1920-21  (a) 

School  Year 

Months  3456789  10 

Number  of 

Districts   23        46       170       811     1274     2018       669  3 

Per  cent b          .9  3         16        25         40         13  b 

School  Year 

Months 3-5  3-6  3-7 

Number  of 

Districts  out  of 5  21  46 

Each  100  main-__(239)  (1,050)  (2,324) 

taining  the  same. 

Note: 

(a)  Compiled  directly  from  reports  of  County  Superintendents   on   file  with 
State  Department  of  Education. 

(b)  Less  than  one-half  of  one  per  cent. 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  47 

LENGTH  OF  SCHOOL  TERM. 

In  the  year  1920  the  average  length  of  school  year  in  the  United 
States  was  8.1  months.  Data  for  1921  for  the  United  States  as  a 
whole  are  not  available.  If  they  were,  we  would  undoubtedly  find 
that  the  average  length  of  school  year  had  increased.  Yet  in  the 
year  of  1921  in  Oklahoma  there  were  more  than  1000  village  and 
rural  white  districts  which  maintained  school  for  six  months  or  less. 
In  five  districts  out  of  every  hundred  in  the  State  the  school  year 
did  not  exceed  five  months.  In  twenty-one  districtsi  out  of  every 
hundred  it  did  not  exceed  six  months,  and  forty-six  districts  out  of 
every  hundred  (nearly  one-half  the  entire  number)  it  did  not  ex- 
ceed seven  months. 

Six  States  in  the  Union,  (one-eighth  of  the  total  number),  each 
of  which  had  less  wealth  per  child  than  Oklahoma,  maintained  in 
the  year  1920  a  school  year  of  nine  months  or  longer.  These  States 
together  with  their  length  of  school  year  and  national  rank  as  to 
wealth  per  child  are  shown  in  Table  10. 

Six  States,  one-eighth  of  the  total  number  in  the  Union,  having 
less  wealth  per  child  than  Oklahoma,  have  an  average  school  year 
of  nine  months  or  more. 

TABLE  10. 
Oklahoma  Compared  with  Six  Other  States  as  to  Wealth  Per 

Child  and  Length  of  School  Year. 

STATES  Average  length  of        Rank  Among  48  States 

School  Year  (d)  as  to  Estimated  True 

Months  Wealth  per  Child 

1920  5-18  years  (d) 

United  States 8.1  e  (162) 

Oklahoma    (c)    (b) 8.3  e   (166)  12 

New  Jersey 9.5  16 

Connecticut 9.2  19 

Massachusetts 9.0  26 

Rhode  Island 9.1  33 

Maryland 9.0  35 

Delaware 9.1  37 

c.  Computed. 

d.  Bureau  of  Education,  Bulletin,  1922,  No.  29,  Table  9,  Column  9. 

e.  Days. 

f.  1921. 


48  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

RANDOM   EXAMPLES   OF   UNSATISFACTORY   CONDITIONS. 

Other  sections  of  this  report  describe  the  concrete  situation 
found  in  schools  visited  by  members  of  the  Survey  Staff.  At  the 
risk  of  repetition  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  point  out  a  few  pertinent 
facts  here.  Stress  has  been  laid  from  time  to  time  upon  the  unusual 
progress  made  by  Oklahoma  in  the  matter  of  consolidated  schools. 
This  is  a  movement  undoubtedly  deserving  the  highest  commenda- 
tion. Yet,  when  we  discover  that  in  Roger  Mills  County  from  $40 
to  $60  out  of  every  $100  spent  for  maintenance  is  used  to  pay  the 
costs  of  transportation,  the  matter  assumes  a  somewhat  different 
light.  In  one  school  visited  it  was  discovered  that  the  last  busses 
for  returning  the  pupils  to  their  homes  did  not  leave,  the  school 
house  until  6  P.  M.  One  hundred  pupils  were  compelled  to  remain 
from  four  to  six  o'clock.  At  Delhi,  in  Beckham  County,  the  first 
busses  leave  the  pupils  homes  at  6  :30  A.  M.  To  come  within  the  lim- 
its of  taxation,  due  to  the  high  cost  of  transportation,  school  terms 
are  shortened,  and  cheap,  totally  unfit  teachers  are  employed. 

Oklahoma  has  every  reason  to  'be  proud  of  many  of  her  schools 
and  many  of  her  teachers,  but  when  we  find  dirty  school  houses  in 
charge  of  equally  dirty  teachers  we  realize  the  necessity  of  radical 
changes.  One  of  the  most  striking  examples  reported  was  in  a 
consolidated  school  where  the  course  in  home  economics  was  in 
charge  of  a  man  whose  grimy  countenance,  dirty  hands,  filthy 
clothes,  were  a  caricature  and  an  affront  to  homemaking 

The  law  definitely  requires  every  school  in  the  State  to  own 
and  display  a  United  States  flag.  (See  School  Laws  of  Oklahoma, 
1921,  Section  322.)  More  than  this,  the  law  provides  a  fine  of  not 
less  than  $10  nor  more  than  $100  shall  be  imposed  for  the  violation 
of  this  law.  Yet,  out  of  seventeen  consolidated  schools  visited, 
only  three  had  flags.  This  is  a  striking  example  of  the  impossibility 
of  meeting  the  legal  requirements  as  to  supplies  under  Oklahoma's 
present  system  of  school  finance. 

Some  school  districts  which  levy  no  tax  are  perhaps  districts  in 
which  no  children  of  school  age  reside,  but  this  situation  brings  out 
one  of  the  greatest  faults  of  the  district  system ;  namely,  that  it  per- 
mits property  in  such  districts  which  ought  to  be  available  as  a 
source  of  school  revenue  to  escape  any  contribution  for  school  pur- 
poses. There  is  no  more  reason  why  property  within  a  school  dis- 
trict in  which  no  school  children  reside  should  escape  contributing 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  49 

its  just  quota  to  the  support  of  schools  within  the  County  of  the 
State  than  that  the  property  of  a  childless  couple  who  live  within 
a  district  should  go  untaxed  for  school  purposes. 

Education  is  a  function  of  the  State.  The  powers  and  responsi- 
bilities possessed  by  school  districts  are,  strictly  speaking,  delegated 
to  them  by  the  sovereign  authority,  the  State.  The  wealth  of  the 
entire  State  belongs  to  the  State  and  should  be  utilized  by  the  State 
to  provide  adequate  school  facilities  for  her  children. 

THE  DISTRICT  SYSTEM  IS  NOT  DEMOCRATIC. 

Any  suggestion  to  abolish  the  district  system  arouses  an  out- 
cry from  many  admirers  of  this  century-old  institution.  Some  of 
those  who  champion  it  most  stoutly  do  so  in  the  name  of  democracy. 
Others  cry  out  against  the  establishment  of  the  county  or  any  other 
unit  larger  than  the  district  which  will  result  in  making  wealthy 
communities  contribute  to  the  education  of  c-hildren  in  poor  com- 
munities. The  utter  shallowness  of  such  arguments  is  clear  to  any 
unbiased  citizen.  As  to  preserving  the  district  because  of  its  so- 
called  democracy,  we  may  state  that  the  chief  reason  for  demanding 
its  Abolition  is  that  it  is  the  most  undemocratic  system  that  could  be 
devised.  The  essence  of  democracy  is  equality  of  opportunity. 
We  have  shown  that  the  district  system  not  only  fails  to  provide 
such  equality  but  makes  any  approach  to  equality  impossible. 

A  much  stronger  argument  frequently  presented  for  the  dis- 
trict system  is  that  it  fosters  local  interest  in  public  education,  and 
that  without  such  interest  our  schools  would  languish.  Were  the 
districts  equally  able  to  support  schools  and  equally  zealous  for 
education,  such  an  argument  would  be  valid,  but  the  conditions  ex- 
isting in  Oklahoma  show  not  only  that  school  districts  are  absolute- 
ly unequal  in  matters  of  zeal  and  ability,  but  that  they  can  never 
approach  even  the  slightest  degree  of  such  equality. 

Generations  of  district  support  and  district  control  find  one 
of  the  richest  commonwealths  in  the  richest  nation  on  the  earth 
denying  multitudes  of  her  children  any  educational  opportunity 
whatever,  and  sending  hundreds  of  others  to  school  in  dismal  and 
unsanitary  hovels  under  the  tutelage  of  wretchedly  underpaid  and 
proportionately  ignorant,  untrained,  and  incompetent  teachers. 
Such  are  the  actual  results  of  the  time-honored,  undemocratic  dis- 
trict system  in  Oklahoma. 


50  PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

THE  DISTRICT  SYSTEM  MUST  GO. 

Oklahoma  may  temporize  with  the  present  situation.  She  may 
reduce  the  existing  evils,  'but  she  can  not  cure  them  unless,  or  until, 
she  abolishes  the  district  system  with  its  legion  of  accompanying 
evils.  The  condition  of  Oklahoma,  as  far  as  public  education  is  con- 
cerned, is  pathological.  It  can  not  be  cured  without  a  major  op- 
eration. The  major  operation  it  requires  is  the  abolition  of  the 
school  district  as  a  unit  of  taxation,  organization,  and  administra- 
tion. This  fact  may  as  well  be  faced  frankly.  There  is  no  reason 
for  hiding  the  truth  from  the  citizens. 

The  evils  of  the  district  system  have  been  recognized  and  point- 
ed out  by  every  leading  authority  on  the  organization  and  support 
of  public  schools  for  the  last  one  hundred  years.  These  leaders  have 
been  unanimous  in  their  condemnation  of  the  district  system  and 
their  support  of  the  county  system.  The  State  Superintendent  of 
one  of  our  leading  States  wrote  in  his  annual  report  some  years 
ago:  "There  is  neither  hope  nor  justice  in  such  a  system.  No 
scheme  of  State  aid  will  ameliorate  this  condition.  The  only  just 
system  is  the  county  as  a  unit  for  school  support,  as  well  as  for  ad- 
ministration and  supervision." 

Twenty-three  States  in  the  Union  now  have  the  county  unit  in 
some  form.  California  requires  every  county  to  raise  by  county 
tax,  a  sum  sufficient  to  provide  $700  for  every  elementary,  full-time 
teaching  position.  This  sum  is  matched  by  the  State.  The  remark- 
able progress  which  Alabama  has  made  during  the  last  five  years 
has  been  largely  due  to  her  devolpment,  upon  the  advice  of  the 
United  States  Bureau  of  Education,  of  a  strong  county  unit. 

A  STEP  TOWARD  ELIMINATION  OF  INEQUALITIES. 

Prom  the  standpoint  of  school  finance,  the  county  unit  evens 
out  the  great  inequalities  in  wealth  which  exist  among  the  districts 
within  the  counties.  Figure  7  has  shown  us  the  variation  between 
the  richest  and  poorest  rural  school  districts  in  five  Oklahoma  coun- 
ties: Grant,  Cimarron,  Kiowa,  LeFlore  and  Haskell.  We  have 
seen  that  in  Grant  County  this  variation  extends  from  $82,000  per 
child  to  $3,000  per  child;  in  Cimarron  from  $61,000  to  $3,000;  in  Le- 
Flore from  $16,000  to  $1,000 ;  and  in  Haskell  from  $7,000  to  $1,000. 

What  would  the  adoption  of  the  county  in  place  of  the  district 
as  a  unit  for  furnishing  school  revenues  do  within  these  counties? 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC   SCHOOLS  51 

This  has  already  been  shown  in  Figure  2,  a  reference  to  which  will 
show  that  in  Cimarroii  County  it  would  place  $10,000  back  of  every 
child.  There  would  no  longer  be  some  communities  with  $61,000 
back  of  each  child  while  other  communities  had  only  $3,000  back 
of  each  child,  but  the  county  would  become  for  the  purposes  of 
school  support  one  community  and  there  would  be  for  the  support 
of  education  $10,000  back  of  every  child  in  the  county  district. 

SOURCES  OF  OPPOSITION  TO  IMPROVEMENT. 

Any  attempt  to  abolish  the  district  and  to  supplant  it  by  the 
county  as  a  unit  will  undoubtedly  meet  with  strong  opposition. 
Part  of  this  opposition  will  come  from  those  who  will  maintain  that 
the  district  system  is  democratic.  A  preceding  paragraph  has  al- 
ready answered  this  argument,,  and  has  shown  that  the  district  sys- 
tem is  absolutely  undemocratic  because  it  is  the  most  unequal  sys- 
tem which  could  be  devised  and  a  system  which  will  make  equality 
forever  impossible. 

The  most  important  and  the  most  vehement  opposition  will  un- 
doubtedly come  from  wealthy  communities,  which,  at  the  present 
time,  are  able  to  support  fairly  good  schools  from  a  low  tax  levy. 
This  is  always  the  case.  This  is  the  source  of  opposition  which  has 
been  used  in  many  States  to  defeat  bills  proposing  an  increase  in 
State  tax  rates  for  schools.  We  have  too  long  ignored  the  fact  that 
the  education  of  the  children  is  not  in  any  sense  a  local  problem, 
nor  a  local  responsibility.  We  recognize  in  other  matters  that  the 
county  and  the  State  have  the  power  to  levy  taxes  sufficient  to  pro- 
duce the  revenues  needed  for  the  public  good.  We  must  recognize 
this  in  education  also. 

Oklahoma's  present  system  of  school  finance  is  forcing  thous- 
ands of  poor  communities  to  exert  themselves  far  beyond  their 
strength.  It  is  letting  large  numbers  of  wealthy  and  comparative- 
ly wealthy  communities  escape  from  exerting  any  real  effort. 
Worse  than  these  facts  are  the  results  which  have  already  been  set 
forth ;  namely,  that  thousands  upon  thousands  of  children  in  Okla- 
homa are  deprived  of  the  chance  which  they  would  have,  had  they 
been  so  fortunate  as  to  have  been  born  in  any  one  of  the  large 
number  of  States,  States  which  have  less  wealth  and  are,  therefore, 
less  able  to  provide  schools  than  Oklahoma,  but  which  recognize  the 
fact  that  the  future  prosperity  of  the  State  depends  first  of  all  upon 
the  education  of  her  children. 


52  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

UNFAIR  METHOD  OF  DISTRIBUTING  STATE  MONEYS. 

In  a  preceding  paragraph  devoted  to  causes  of  Oklahoma's  ed- 
ucational backwardness  it  was  stated  that  one  of  the  four  most  im- 
portant causes  is  "an  unscientific  method  of  apportioning  State 
funds."  Oklahoma  provides  State  moneys  for  common  schools 
from  three  general  sources:  (1)  Appropriations  (e.  g.,  to  the  su- 
perintendent of  public  instruction,  to  the  State  board  of  education 
to  match  federal  apportionments  for  vocational  education).  (2)  A 
general  property  tax  of  one-fourth  of  one  mill.  (3)  The  income 
of  the  permanent  common  school  fund,  which  consists  of  rents  from 
lands  'belonging  to  this  fund  and  interest  from  the  invested  prin- 
cipal. 

The  State  appropriations  are  for  specific  projects,  such  as  aiding 
rural  schools  in  erecting  buildings.  They  reach,  therefore,  only 
certain  individual  communities.  Our  interest  at  this  point  is  in  the 
so-called  State  school  fund  which  consists  of  the  proceeds  of  the 
State  school  tax  and  the  income  from  the  permanent  common  school 
fund  and  is  distribuated  in  such  a  manner  as  ultimately  to  reach 
every  district  in  the  State. 

Figure  9  has  shown  us  that  in  1921  out  of  every  $100  provided 
for  public  schools  in  Oklahoma  the  State  furnished  $9.  Small  as 
this  amount  is,  if  properly  distributed,  it  could  be  made  to  play  an 
important  part  in  equalizing  school  burdens  and  educational  oppor- 
tunities. Oklahoma  disburses  her  State  school  funds  among  the  coun- 
ties which,  in  turn,  disburse  the  amounts  thus  received  among  the 
districts  within  the  county  on  the  basis  of  the  number  of  children 
enumerated.  This  enumeration  includes  all  children  over  six  years 
of  age  and  under  twenty-one. 

This  method  is  perhaps  the  most  unscientific,  the  most  anti- 
quated and  the  most  unfair  of  all  of  the  many  methods  of  distribut- 
ing State  school  funds  employed  at  the  present  time.  The  aim  and 
theory  back  of  this  method  are  commendable.  It  assumes  that  this 
method  will  give  to  every  school  child  of  this  State  an  equal  amount 
of  assistance  in  getting  an  education.  In  its  application,  however, 
this  method  is  totally  unfair  both  to  the  school  children  of  the  State 
and  to  the  s>chool  districts  which  provide  schools. 

DEFECTS  OF  THIS  METHOD  OF  APPORTIONMENT. 

Space  does  not  permit  an  elaborate  discussion  of  the  defects 
of  apportioning  State  aid  upon  the  basis  employed  by  Oklahoma, 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  53 

namely  school  enumeration.  However,  some  of  them  may  be  point- 
ed out  'briefly.  Apportioning  school  moneys  on  the  basis  of  enum- 
eration places  no  premium  upon  school  attendance,  length  of  school 
term,  the  number  of  months  a  teacher  is  employed,  high  salary  and 
high  qualifications  of  teachers,  nor  the  effort  to  provide  a  good 
school  as  evidenced  by  the  levying  of  a  liberal  tax.  Worse  than  this 
it  actually  serves  in  some  communities  to  encourage  non-attendance. 
It  does  not  give  State  moneys  to  the  children  actually  in  school,  as  it 
would  do  if  State  aid  were  apportioned  on  the  basis  of  aggregate 
attendance. 

It  ignores  the  fact  that  it  is  not  chiefly  the  number  of  school 
children,  but  rather  the  number  of  teachers  employed  which  deter- 
mines what  schools  cost.  A  district  employing  one  teacher  to  teach 
fifteen  pupils  will  have  to  spend  practically  as  much  money  as  a  dis- 
trict employing  one  teacher  to  teach  thirty  pupils.  As  long  as  school 
moneys  are  apportioned  even  upon  any  per  pupil  basis,  this'  supreme- 
ly important  fact  is  left  out  of  consideration. 

If  a  State  is  to  equalize  school  burdens  she  must  in  her  method 
of  distributing  aid  take  into  consideration  not  only  the  number  of 
teachers  employed,  but  she  must  take  into  consideration  both  dif- 
ferences in  ability  to  provide  school  revenue  as  measured  by  wealth 
per  child,  and  differences  in  effort  as  measured  by  the  rate  of  local 
tax. 

This  suggests  a  somewhat  complex  method  of  distributing  funds. 
To  this  we  reply  that  the  school  situation  which  was  comparatively 
simple  twenty-five  years  ago  has1  today  become  exceedingly  com- 
plex. This  complex  situation  can  no  longer  be  dealt  with  by  em- 
ploying the  crude  rule-of-thumb  methods  which,  although  always  to- 
tally inadequate,  were  less  disastrous1  in  their  results  at  a  time  when 
the  State  was  not  forcing  every  community  to  provide  schools  for 
all  children,  in  other  words,  when  compulsory  education  laws  were 
few  in  number  and  not  rigidly  enforced. 

ACTUAL  RESULTS  OF  THE  PLAN. 

"What  does  Oklahoma's  present  method  of  distributing  her  State 
school  fund  actually  do?  This  can  best  be  shown  by  comparing  the 
amounts  paid  to  various  districts  for  the  children  actually  in  school. 
Such  a  comparison  will  show  that,  whereas  in  theory  Oklahoma  gives 
to  the  districts  the  same  amount  of  State  aid  for  each  school  child, 
as  a  matter  of  fact  there  is  no  equality  whatever  in  the  amounts 
districts  receive  for  the  children  they  are  actually  educating. 


54 


PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 


The  evidence  to  support  these  statements  is  shown  in  Figure  10, 
which  shows  the  situation  with  respect  to  the  richest  and  poorest 
common  school  districts  in  five  counties. 


From  Figure  10  we  see  that  the  richest  common  school  district 
in  Grant  County  which  has  'back  of  each  school  child  in  average 
daily  attendance  no  less  than  $82,000  receives  $20  from  the  State, 
whereas  the  poorest  district  which  has  back  of  each  school  child 
only  $3,000  receives  from  the  State  only  $3.  This  is  true  of  every 
county  in  the  group  except  Haskell.  In  all  the  other  counties  the 
richest  district  gets  the  greater  amount  of  aid. 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


We  have  seen  the  injustice  suffered  by  common  school  districts- 
as  the  result  of  distributing  State  aid  on  the  basis  of  enumeration. 
The  injustice  is  even  greater,  perhaps,  in  the  case  of  some  inde- 
pendent districts.  In  these  districts  the  enrollment  and  the  average 
daily  attendance  both  commonly  exceed  the  enumeration  due  to  the 
presence  of  children  from  outlying  districts  who  are  transferred 
to  the  independent  districts.  The  result  is  that  the  independent 
district  has  a  large  number  of  children  coming  to  it  from  outside 
for  whom  the  independent  district  receives  no  aid  whatsoever  from 
the  State.  The  amount  of  tuition  received  from  the  outside  dis- 
tricts, part  of  which,  it  is  true,  represents  State  aid  to  the  latter,  is 
so  small  that  it  is  disregarded  here.  This  situation  is  shown  in 
Table  11  which  follows. 

TABLE    11.— INJUSTICE    OF   DISTRIBUTING    STATE    SCHOOL    MONEYS 
ON  BASIS  OF  ENUMERATION. 

Indepen-  State  Appor-     State  appor-     Wealth        Percent  of      Enumer-       Enroll-      Average 


dent 

tionment 

tionment          per 

enumeration 

Districts 

per  child 

per  child        child 

in 

enumerated 

actually  in         (b) 

attendance 

school  (b) 

Helena 

$2.39 

$1.80            $1412 

133% 

Hunter 

2.39 

2.07              3019 

136% 

Douglas 

2.39 

2.13              3939 

102% 

Red    Rock 

2.39 

2.50              6336 

99% 

Walters 

2.39 

2.97              1389 

81% 

McMann 

2.39 

3.54             7795 

67% 

ation 


185 
152 
108 
156 
893 
922 


ment 


294 
225 
144 
174 
934 
847 


daily 
attend- 
ance 

246 
207 
121 
149 
719 
623 


(a) 


All  the  data  taken  directly  from  district  reports  for  the  year  1921-22  on 
file  with  State  department  of  education. 


(b)     i.  e.  per  child  in  average  daily  attendance. 

TABLE  12. 

NINE   OKLAHOMA   COUNTIES— INEQUALITIES 
1921-1922. 


Ability  to  Support  Schools            Annual  Ex- 
Wealth  per  Child  in                   penditure 
Average  Daily  Attendance 
Average     Rank  a- 
Daily  At-  mongi  77                        Per 

Average     State        District  hav- 
District     Appor-     ing  Less  than 
Tax        tionment      6  Mos.  Term 

Num-     Per 

Amount  tendance  Counties  (c)   Total 

Child  (b) 

Mills 

Amount 

ber 

Cent 

Cimarron 

$10,039 

832 

1 

$81,178 

$97.57 

8.0 

$2,626.00 

0 

0 

Grant 

9,022 

3,514 

2 

252,270 

71.79 

5.9 

11,502.00 

0 

0 

Alfalfa 

7,268 

4,149 

3 

315,231 

75.98 

8.3 

10,913.00 

0 

0 

Cotton 

3,985 

3,324 

38 

161,798 

48.68 

9.1 

12,324.00 

1 

01.7 

Kiowa 

3,571 

5,674 

39 

247,364 

43.60 

9.7 

20,767.00 

2 

02.4 

Carter 

3,284 

10,073 

40 

721,116 

71.59 

4.2 

30,815.00 

1 

01.8 

LeFlore 

2,233 

8,441 

75 

343,220 

40.05 

13.5 

33,894.00 

19 

18.1 

McCurtain 

1,982 

6,685 

76 

240,554 

35.98 

13.9 

27,223.00 

7 

07.9 

Haskell 

1,590 

4,769 

77 

170,296 

35.71 

18.8 

16,508.00 

1 

01.8 

a.  Includes  all  districts,   independent,  rural  and  village,  and  white  and  col- 

ored.    All  data  taken  from  Reports  of  County  Superintendents  on  file 
with  the  State  Department  of  Education. 

b.  Per  child  in  average  daily  attendance. 

c.  Computed. 


56  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

THE  PLAN  FAILS  TO  ACHIEVE  ITS  OBJECT. 

It  is  the  aim  of  the  State  to  provide  every  one  of  the  independ- 
ent districts  included  in  Table  11  equal  assistance.  An  example  of 
the  result  of  apportioning  State  aid  on  the  basis  of  enumeraton  is 
that  Helena  receives  from  the  State  $1.80  for  each  child  actually  in 
school  and  McMann  $3.54  for  each  child  actually  in  school,  yet  Mc- 
Mann  is  more  than  six  times  as  able  to  provide  school  revenue  as 
Helena  and  has  in  attendance  only  60  per  cent  of  its  enumeration, 
whereas  the  attendance  at  Helena  is  133  per  cent  of  its  enumeration. 
If  the  reader  will  compare  other  districts  in  this  table  he  will  find 
further  convincing  eAddence  of  the  unfairness  and  unsoundness  of 
distributing  school  moneys  on  the  basis  of  enumeration. 

Inequalities  in  school  burdens,  inequalities  in  ability  to  pro- 
vide school  moneys,  inequalities  in  effort,  inequalities  in  assistance 
received  from  the  State,  inequalities  in  length  of  school  year  and 
in  educational  opportunities  offered  to  the  children  of  Oklahoma; 
this  is,  in  a  nutshell,  the  story  of  public  education  in  Oklahoma  to- 
day. This  is  the  vision  which  greets  our  eyes  whether  we  fix  our 
attention  upon  the  counties  or  upon  the  districts. 

Table  12  tells  the  story  for  the  nine  representative  counties 
which  have  been  chosen  for  special  study.  These  counties  as  we 
have  said  were  chosen  on  the  basis  of  their  relative  ability  to  sup- 
port schools;  namely,  the  wealth  per  school  child. 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  57 


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58  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

The  three  poorest  counties  presented  in  Table  12,  LeFlore,  Mc- 
Curtain  and  Haskell,  are  the  only  ones  in  which  the  average  rate 
of  district  tax  exceeds  10  mills.  In  Haskell  the  average  rate  is  near- 
ly 4  mills  in  excess  of  the  lawful  limit  15  mills,  Yet  despite  this  ex- 
ceedingly heavy  rate  the  expenditure  per  child  in  Haskell  is  the 
lowest  of  the  group,  being,  in  fact,  only  $35.71.  The  average  rate 
in  LeFlore,  although  high  when  compared  with  the  richer  counties, 
is  more  than  5  mills  less  than  the  average  rate  in  Haskell.  Yet  in 
LeFlore,  more  than  eighteen  districts  out  of  one  hundred  have  a 
school  term  of  less  than  six  months ;  whereas,  in  Haskell  county  only 
one  district  has  a  school  term  of  less  than  six  months. 

INEQUALITIES  AMONG  DISTRICTS. 

From  this  consideration  of  counties  we  now  turn  to  the  districts. 
Table  13  shows  inequalities  of  the  same  sort  existing  among. com- 
mon school  districts  and  Table  14  among  independent  districts. 

In  Table  13  we  present  for  the  richest  and  poorest  district  in 
each  of  the  five  counties,  the  assessed  valuation  per  child,  the  ratio 
of  the  assessed  valuation  per  child  of  the  two  districts  compared, 
the  district  tax  rate,  annual  expenditure,  and  total  State  aid  per 
child,  together  with  one  or  two  other  distinct  facts. 

District  Number  15  in  Cimarron  county  is  17  times  as  able  to 
provide  school  revenues  as  District  Number  36.  District  Number 
36  levies  a  9  mill  tax,  but  is  able  to  expend  only  $51  per  child; 
whereas,  District  15  levies  a  4  mill  tax  and  spends  $395  per  child. 
Yet  the  richest  district  gets  from  the  State  $18  for  each  school  child ; 
whereas,  the  poorer  gets  only  $3. 

Equally  significant  is  the  situation  in  LeFlore  county  where 
the  richest  district  with  an  average  daily  attendance  of  nine  less 
than  that  in  the  poorest  district  levies  a  12  mill  tax,  expends  $209 
for  each  child  and  receives  $23  for  each  child  from  the  State ;  where- 
as, the  poorer  district  levies  a  15  mill  tax,  is  able  to  expend  only 
$24  per  child,  and  receives  only  $4  from  the  State.  That  a  similar 
situation  exists  in  indpendent  districts  will  be  seen  from  Table  14 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  59 

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60  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

From  Table  14  we  see  that  Helena,  which  in  1922  levied  a  total 
district  tax  rate  of  23.5  mills  and  expended  nearly  $65  per  school 
child,  receives  from  the  State  only  $1.80  per  child  in  average  daily 
attendance;  whereas,  Wagoner  which  levied  10  mills  less  (13  mills), 
spends  only  $44.42  per  child,  receiving  $2.55  from  the  State. 

A  comparison  of  Walters  with  Vinita  and  Ramona  will  show 
still  further  the  unfairness  of  Oklahoma's  method  of  distributing 
State  aid.  Walters  levies  a  total  tax  of  more  than  19.3  mills,  but 
is  able  to  spend  not  quite  $39  per  child.  Vinita,  which  levies  16.2 
mills,  is  able  to  spend  nearly  $100  and  Ramona  whose  total  tax  is 
only  15  mills  spends  $163  per  child.  Yet  the  amount  of  State  aid 
per  child  in  average  daily  attendance  received  by  Ramona  and  by 
Vinita  is  larger  than  that  received  by  Walters. 

DECREASING  SHARE  OF  SCHOOL  BURDEN  BORNE  BY 

THE  STATE. 

Previous  paragraphs  have  shown  that  one  of  the  chief  causes 
of  inadequate  school  funds  and  inequalities  in  Oklahoma  is  the  dis- 
trict system.  This  system  throws  the  responsibility  of  providing 
school  revenues  upon  units  so  absolutely  unequal  in  wealth,  not  to 
mention  educational  zeal,  that  it  is  humanly  impossible  for  them 
ever  to  provide  equal  school  funds.  Worse  still  is  the  situation 
which  we  find  in  the  poorest  districts  where  even  taxes  exceeding 
the  lawful  limits  do  not  provide  adequate  revenues.  Not  only  is 
Oklahoma  today  throwing  the  major  portion  of  her  school  burden 
upon  these  the  most  unequal  of  all  possible  units,  but  the  tendency 
throughout  her  history  has  been  for  the  State  to  contribute  a  less 
and  less  proportion  of  the  school  funds  and  thus  to  force  the  dis- 
tricts to  assume  a  heavier  and  heavier  burden. 

Thus  we  find  that,  whereas,  in  1910  the  State  furnished  $16  out 
of  every  $100  provided  for  schools,  in  1920  she  provided  only  $3.20. 
Again,  whereas,  in  1910  the  districts  furnished  only  $76  out  of  every 
$100,  in  1920  they  furnished  $80.40  while  the  counties  furnished 
$12.10,  thus  making  the  total  furnished  by  local  units,  counties  and 
districts  $92.50. 

We  frequently  hear  citizens  complain  over  the  vast  increases 
in  the  school  moneys  furnished  by  the  State.  It  is  true  that  the 
amount  which  the  State  has  furnished  has  steadily  increased,  but  this 
amount  has  failed  increasingly  to  keep  pace  with  the  enormous  in- 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  61 

creases  in  school  expenditure,  and  particularly  with  the  increases 
in  the  school  moneys  furnished  by  the  local  units,  districts  and 
counties.  The  story  of  this  declining-  importance  of  the  State  as  a 
provider  of  public  school  revenue  in  Oklahoma  is  shown  by  Figure 
11  which  follows. 

PROPORTION  or  OKLAHOMA  SCHOOL  BURDENS 
BORNE  BY  LOCAL  UNITS  (DISTRICTS  AND  COUNTIES)  AND  BY  THE  STATE. 

1910-iQtO 


Local 

Districts  and  Counties 

92.5% 


1910  1920 


INEQUALITY  IN  ABILITY  or  OKLAHOMA  COUNTIES 
TO  SUPPORT 


FIGURE   11. 

There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  school  costs  in  Oklahoma  will 
increase  any  less  rapidly  in  the  future  than  they  have  in  the  past. 
Indeed,  all  the  facts  before  us  leave  no  room  to  doubt  that  if  Okla- 
homa is  in  any  sense  to  measure  up  to  the  other  States  with  which 
her  wealth  compares  she  must  increase  her  school  expenditure  many 
times.  If  she  is  to  do  away  with  short  school  terms,  under-trained 
teachers,  and  a  multitude  of  other  evils  she  must  spend  many  times 
the  money  which  she  is  at  present  expending. 

That  she  is  able  to  do  this  was  made  evident  in  Table  4.  Table 
4  showed  that,  whereas,  Oklahoma  is  exceeded  by  only  eleven 
States  in  the  Union  asi  to  ability  to  provide  school  revenues,  she  is 
exceeded  by  forty-one  with  respect  to  the  amount  of  money  she  is 
spending  for  each  $1,000  of  her  wealth.  One  of  the  most  important 
questions  which  Oklahoma  must  face  when  she  undertakes  to  pro- 
vide these  increased  revenues  is,  where  shall  the  money  come  from. 


62  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

To  attempt  in  the  future  to  continue  the  policy  of  depending 
upon  school  districts  for  the  major  proportion  of  school  revenues, 
can  lead  only  to  inequalities  and  to  failures  even  greater  than  those 
which  mark  the  present  situation.  It  is  absolutely  essential  that 
Oklahoma  adopt  as  her  local  unit  from  which  to  derive  school  rev- 
enues, one  far  more  capable  than  the  district  of  equalizing  school 
funds.  That  the  county  is  such  a  unit  has  already  been  shown. 
We  have  also  pointed  out  definitely  how  the  county  would  do  this. 
Let  us  now  ask  to  what  extent  will  the  adoption  of  the  county  unit 
result  in  equalizing  school  revenues  throughout  the  State  and  in 
equalizing  school  burdens  and  educational  opportunities. 

WILL  THE  COUNTY  UNIT  EQUALIZE  EDUCATION 
IN  OKLAHOMA? 

There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  great  superiority  of  the  county 
over  the  district  as  the  unit  of  local  organization  and  support  for 
public  schools.  Nevertheless,  facts  already  presented  have  shown  that 
the  counties  of  Oklahoma  are  very  unequal  in  wealth  and  conse- 
quently very  unequal  in  their  ability  to  provide  school  revenue. 
However  much  Oklahoma  may  improve  her  educational  situation  by 
abolishing  school  districts  and  establishing  the  county  as  the  local 
unit,  flagrant  and  disastrous  inequalities  will  continue  as  long  as 
the  schools  of  Oklahoma  are  obliged  to  depend  upon  local  units,  even 
though  these  units  be  counties  for  the  major  portion  of  their  sup- 
port. 

Neither  the  county  nor  any  other  local  unit  which  might  be 
devised  can  equalize  school  revenues,  school  burdens,  and  educa- 
tional opportunities.  The  State  and  only  the  State  can  do  this. 
The  truth  of  this  assertion  becomes  increasingly  evident  the  mom- 
ent we  survey  Oklahoma's  seventy-seven  counties  as  is  done  in 
Figure  11. 

Figure  11  shows  the  seventy-seven  counties  of  Oklahoma  ar- 
ranged in  nine  groups.  The  first  of  the  columns  at  the  left  indi- 
cates the  number  of  counties  included  in  each  of  the  nine  groups; 
the  second  column,  the  per  cent  of  Oklahoma's  total  enumeration 
included  in  the  total  number  of  counties  in  each  group.  The  third 
column  shows  the  valuation  per  child  enumerated  in  the  richest 
and  in  the  poorest  county  in  each  group.  This  is  further  repre- 
sented by  the  bars  composing  the  figure. 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS 


INEQUALITY  IN  ABILITY  or  OKLAHOMA  COUNTIES 
TO  .SUPPORT  .SCHOOLS 
®Ll-l9tt 


Number        Percent 
of  Counties         of 
in  Group        Total 

Enumeration 


Valuation 
per  Child 
Enum-    ft 
crated    *0 


~Countie2  in  Nine  Groups- 
Richest  and  Poorest  County  in  Each  Group 


*  1.000     *£.OOQ   A  3,000    *4.000    *5.000  *6£>QO    *7.000 


7,ooo 


FIGURE  12. 


EXTREMES  OF  INEQUALITY  AMONG  THE  COUNTIES. 

Figure  12  shows  us  that  the  richest  county  in  the  State  is  more 
than  seven  times  as  able  to  provide  school  revenue  as  the  poorest 
county  in  the  State'.  Of  all  the  children  in  Oklahoma,  74  per  cent 
live  in  counties  where  the  valuation  back  of  each  child  enumerated 
is  less  than  $3,000 ;  44  per  cent  live  in  counties  where  the  valuation 
is  less  than  $2,000 ;  26  per  cent  live  in  counties  where  the  valuation 
back  of  each  child  enumerated  reaches  from  $3,000  to  $6,000.  See 
Figure  13. 

The  impossibility  of  ever  equalizing  school  revenues  by  setting 
up  as  the  source  from  which  the  major  portion  of  school  funds  is  to 
be  secured,  units  as  unequal  in  wealth  as  the  counties  of  Oklahoma, 
is  too  evident  to  require  additional  comment.  No  further  argument 
should  be  necessary  to  convince  every  citizen  of  Oklahoma  that 
even  the  abolition  of  the  district  and  the  establishment,  in  its  place, 
of  the  county  unit,  although  it  will  be  a  most  important  step  in  the 
right  direction,  will  never  equalize  school  revenues.  Neither  school 


64 


PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 


burdens  nor  educational  opportunities  will  ever  be  equalized  as  long 
as  Oklahoma  depends  for  the  greater  part  of  her  public  school  rev- 
enue upon  local  units  of  any  sort.  The  State  and  only  the  State 
will  ever  be  able  to  bring  about  such  equalization. 

flow  OKLAHOMA  DIVIDES  HCR  SCHOOL  RCVCNUCS 


26%  or  OKLAHOMA'S   SCHOOL  MONCY 

GOE5TOl6%  Or   HER    CHILDREN 

Th€3€  children  live  in  *5fx  countfes: 
Alfalfa  Cnazk        Oklahoma 

Tuba 


FIGURE  13. 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  65 

PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IS  A  FUNCTION  OF  THE  STATE. 
PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  ARE  STATE  INSTITUTIONS. 

Public  education  is  a  function  of  the  State,  and  public  schools 
are  State,  not  local,  institutions.  This  declaration  is  not  based  upon 
theory,  for  the  matter  has  been  tested  in  the  supreme  court,  and  the 
court  has  ruled  that  public  schools  are  State  institutions,  and  that 
the  powers  exercised  by  local  units  are  distinctly  delegated  powers. 
The  wealth  within  a  State  available  for  taxation  for  the  support  of 
public  schools  belongs  to  the  State,  i.  e.,  to  all  the  children  of  the 
State.  The  district  system  is  an  inheritance  from  colonial  days  when 
schools  were  regarded,  controlled,  and  supported  as  local  charit- 
able and  semi-church  institutions.  That  day  is  past,  arid  Okla- 
homa should  free  herself  from  the  shackles  of  a  system'  which 
makes  equality  of  educational  opportunity  impossible. 

Equality  of  educational  opportunity  for  all  the  children  of 
the  entire  State,  and  equality  of  school  burdens  sustained  by  lo- 
cal school  units,  the  counties,  and  the  districts,  constitute  a  brief 
but  correct  statement  of  the  aim  underlying  general,  that  is  State 
and  county,  aid. 

Equality  implies  much  more  than  universal  education  and 
State-wide  equality  in  the  length  of  the  school  year.  It  means 
equality  of  conditions  under  which  children  study  and  play.  It 
means  trained  teachers,  and  healthful,  well-equipped,  inviting 
schoolhouses  and  yards,  equality  in  the  scope,  vitality  and  richness 
of  studies.  The  only  possibility  of  approaching  equality  in  this 
broad  sense  lies  partly  in  proper  organization  and  administration  of 
school  units,  and  partly  in  equality  of  school  support.  Equality  in 
school  support  means  equal  distribution  of  economic  responsibility 
and  economic  power.  Such  economic  equality  can  come  only  if  the 
amount  of  aid  granted  to  the  school  unit  is  determined  on  the  basis 
of  the  ability  (i.  e.,  the  financial  resources)  and  the  effort  of  this 
unit. 

WHAT  SHARE  OF  THE  SCHOOL  BURDEN  SHOULD  BE 
BORNE  BY  THE  STATE? 

Equality  in  educational  opportunity  will  never  be  secured  until 
the  schools  cease  to  be  in  the  last  analysis,  both  from  the  standpoint 
of  control  and  from  the  standpoint  of  support,  dominantly  local  in- 
stitutions and  until  the  State  provides,  supports,  and  directs  those 

S.   S.  3 


66  PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

factors  upon  which  equality  primarily  depends,  and   which  may, 
therefore,  be  termed  the  minimum  essentials  of  educational  equality. 

What,  now.  are  the  factors  which  to  the  largest  degree  make  the 
educational  opportunities  offered  within  the  various  communities 
of  a  State  equal  or  unequal?  Without  a  moment's  hesitation  we 
answer :  The  number  and  quality  of  teachers  employed,  the  length 
of  school  term,  the  effectiveness  of  general  administration  and  su- 
pervision, and  the  quality  and  adequacy  of  the  apparatus  directly 
related  to  instruction,  including  especially  such  materials  as  text- 
books. 

It  is  well  known  that  teachers'  wages  constitute  the  largest 
single  item  of  school  expenditure  in  every  community  and,  also, 
that  as  is  the  teacher  so  is  the  school.  Studies  made  in  comparative- 
ly recent  times  have  shown  further  that  the  quality  of  instruction 
is  largely  determined  by  the  quality  of  supervision.  Place  upon  the 
State  the  responsibility  of  furnishing  funds  to  provide  every 
school  with  enough  money  to  pay  a  minimum  salary  to  every  teach- 
er for  an  entire  school  year  of  uniform  length,  such  minimum  vary- 
ing with  the  qualifications  of  the  individual  teacher  and  further, 
place  upon  the  State  the  responsibility  of  providing  the  materials 
directly  related  to  instruction,  and  the  moneys  necessary  to  guar- 
antee the  scientific  supervision  of  every  school — and  existing  edu- 
cational inequalities  will  be  rapidly  evened  out.  Let  us  now  turn 
directly  to  the  question,  what  proportion  of  total  school  revenue 
will  the  State  be  required  to  provide  under  this  proposed  plan,  and 
what  proportion  will  be  furnished  by  the  local  school  units? 

We  can  best  answer  this  question  by  finding  out  what  per  cent 
of  the  total  annual  expenditure  for  public  schools  is  devoted  to  the 
items  just  named.  For  this  purpose  we  may  consider  the  United 
States  as  a  whole,  and  California,  a  State  whose  standards  with 
respect  to  teachers'  salaries  are  exceeded  by  none  and  a  State, 
moreover  which  furnishes  free  textbooks.  In  1915,  practically  60 
per  cent  of  the  total  school  costs  in  the  United  States  were  de- 
voted to  teachers'  salaries  and  textbooks;  in  California  approxi- 
mately 55  per  cent.  In  1918,  the  per  cents  were,  respectively,  58 
for  the  United  States ;  61  for  California.  In  1920,  California  devoted 
a  little  less  than  63  per  cent  of  her  total  school  revenues  to  teachers' 
salaries  and  textbooks. 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  67 

In  general,  we  may  say  that  from  60  to  65  per  cent  of  total 
school  costs,  would,  under  normal  conditions,  be  devoted  to  teachers' 
salaries  and  textbooks.  Were  we  to  add  to  these  items  the  costs  of 
adequate  supervision  and  apparatus,  other  than  textbooks,  directly 
related  to  instruction,  the  per  cent  would  probably  range  from  65 
to  70.  In  any  case,  the  proportion  will  vary  from  year  to  year 
and  from  community  to  community  and  consequently  must  be  de- 
termined from  time  to  time.  The  first  step  which  the  State  must 
take  is  to  determine  the  amount  which  she  will  provide  for  each 
teaching  position  or  each  unit  of  full  attendance,  and  then  adopt 
ways  and  means  of  insuring  this  annually  to  the  schools. 

If  Oklahoma  is  not  yet  readyj  to  go  as  far  as  the  present  report 
advises,  which  is  to  place  upon  the  State  from  65  to  70  per  cent  of 
the  burden,  then  let  her  adopt  such  a  policy  as  California  has 
effectively  carried  on  for  many  years  and  which  has  placed  her 
among  the  very  first  States  of  the  Union  educationally.  This  policy, 
as  we  have  already  stated,  guarantees  $1,400  a  year  to  every  ele- 
mentary teaching  position  in  the  State,  $700  from  State  sources 
and  $700  from  county  sources. 

ESTABLISH  AN  INTERIM   COMMISSION  ON   SCHOOL 

FINANCE. 

Oklahoma  should  provide  for  the  establishment  of  an  interim 
legislative  commission  on  school  finance,  one  of  whose  functions 
shall  be  to  determine  as  nearly  as  possible  the  amount  of  money 
needed  during  the  next  biennium  to  pay  the  State's  share  of  the 
costs  of  teachers'  salaries,  free  textbooks,  supervision,  and  other 
projects  to  be  financed  by  the  State.  Such  a  commission  should 
report  this  amount  to  the  legislature  at  each  session,  and  the  legis- 
lature should  forthwith  take  steps  to  provide  the  necessary  revenue. 

It  should  be  understood  that  the  policy  proposed  here  would 
not  prevent  counties  from  paying  salaries  above  the  minima  fixed  by 
the  State  where  the  electors  of  the  county  or  the  county  school  board 
should  determine  this  to  be  advisable.  In  fact,  the  State  should  pro- 
vide a  fund  for  subsidizing  counties  which  employ  teachers  whose 
qualifications  exceed  the  minima  set  by  the  State  Board  of  Edu- 
cation. Massachusetts  has  clearly  shown  what  excellent  results  may 
be  accomplished  from  such  a  policy. 


68  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

WHERE  SHALL  STATE  SCHOOL  MONEYS  COME  FROM? 

Any  proposal  to  have  the  State  furnish  out  of  State  funds  from 
65  to  70  per  cent  of  the  total  revenue  needed  for  the  support  of 
public  schools  at  once  raises  the  question  from  what  sources  shall 
the  State  derive  these  funds. 

Oklahoma  has  long  had  the  reputation,  both  within  her  own 
borders  and  throughout  the  United  States,  of  being  possessed  of  a 
magnificant  endowment  for  public  schools,  consisting  of  lands  and 
moneys  granted  to  her  by  the  federal  government  at  the  time  of 
her  admission  into  the  Union.  At  the  close  of  the  fiscal  year,  June 
30,  1921,  this  endowment  amounted  to  approximately  twenty-nine 
million  dollars,  as  is  shown  by  Table  3. 

Far  more  important  than  the  value  of  Oklahoma's  endow- 
ment is  the  question  whether  the  per  cent  of  the  total  school  revenue 
derived  from  this  endowment  is  increasing,  or  decreasing.  In 
other  words,  the  question  can  Oklahoma  depend  more  and  more 
upon  this  endowment,  or  must  she  depend  less  and  less  upon  it? 

According  to  the  data  reported  by  the  United  States  Bureau 
of  Education  in  1910,  out  of  every  $100  provided  in  Oklahoma  for 
public  schools  $15.80  was  furnished  by  the  State.  Not  all,  but  by 
far  the  major  portion,  of  this  amount  was  derived  from  the  per- 
manent school  fund.  In  1915  the  permanent  school  fund  furnished 
approximately  $12  out  of  every  $100  of  public  school  revenue,  and 
in  1920,  $3.20.  In  view  oi;  these  facts  it  is  evident  that  if  the  State 
is  to  furnish  an  increasing  proportion  of  the  total  school  revenue 
this  increase  is  not  to  be  derived  from  the  permanent  school  fund. 
Let  us  now  consider  from  what  other  sources  Oklahoma  might  de- 
rive school  revenue. 

A  STATE  TAX,  OR  LEGISLATIVE  APPROPRIATIONS? 

There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to  which  is  the  better 
method  of  providing  school  moneys  for  State  aid,  by  making  appro- 
priations out  of  the  general  fund  or  by  providing  for  a  State  tax, 
the  proceeds  of  which  shall  be  devoted  to  schools. 

In  favor  of  the  State  tax  versus  State  appropriations  it  has 
been  urged  that  as  the  wealth,  school  population,  and  school  costs 
increase,  the  income  provided  for  the  schools  increases;  also  that 
whereas  appropriations  frequently  depend  upon  the  mood  and  some- 
times even  upon  the  whim  of  the  legislature,  a  State  tax  is  stable  and 
its  proceeds  assured.  Undoubtedly  influenced  by  these  consider- 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  69 

ations  the  Minnesota  State  Board  of  Education  in  1920  in  its  re- 
port upon  The  Revision  of  State  Aid  urged  the  substitution  of  a 
State  mill  tax  for  existing  biennial  appropriations. 

On  the  other  hand,  Illinois  and  California,  after  experimenting 
with  the  State  school  property  tax,  both  abandoned  it  in  favor  of 
State  appropriations.  A  very  serious  objection  to  the  State  school 
tax  of  a  fixed  rate  is  that  there  is  no  guarantee  that  it  will  furnish 
the  amount  of  money  necessary.  This  difficulty  may,  however,  be 
avoided.  Instead  of  fixing  a  definite  rate,  the  laws  may  provide  for 
the  levying  of  a  State  mill  property  tax  sufficient  to  raise  a  fixed 
sum,  or,  better  yet,  sufficient  to  enable  the  State  to  fulfill  its  obli- 
gations to  the  public  schools. 

Four  States  in  the  Union  are  already  levying  State  school  taxes 
of  this  sort ;  namely,  Arizona,  which  levies  a  State  tax  sufficient  to 
provide  $20  per  child  in  average  daily  attendance ;  Utah,  which  levies 
to  tax  of  undetermined  rate  sufficient  to  raise  $25  per  child  from 
6  to  17  years  of  age ;  Washington,  which  levies  a  tax  sufficient,  when 
added  to  the  income  of  the  permanent  school  fund,  to  produce  $20 
per  child  of  school  age;  and  Wisconsin,  which  levies  a  tax  sufficient 
to  pay  State  aid  to  public  schools. 

The  problem  of  providing  school  revenue  is  inseparable  from 
the  general  problem  of  public  finance.  It  is  evident  that  if  the- 
State  is  to  assume  from  65  to  70  per  cent  of  the  burden  of  school 
costs,  she  must  either  discover  new  sources  of  school  revenue 
sufficient  to  produce  the  increased  funds  which  she  is  to  provide,  or 
she  must  be  allowed,  in  case  these  new  sources  are  inadequate,  to 
draw  more  heavily  upon  the  sources  which  at  present  are  furnishing 
State  revenues. 

Among  the  new  sources  of  revenue  which  we  recommend  to  the 
careful  consideration  of  the  Oklahoma  Legislature,  is  a  State 
graduated  income  tax.  This  is  now  effectively  and  satisfactorily 
employed  as  a  source  of  school  revenue  in  Massachusetts  and  Dela- 
ware. 

Oklahoma  levies  a  gross  earning  tax  of  3  per  cent  on  oil  and 
other  natural  resources.  Of  this  the  State  retains  2  per  cent,  and 
returns  1  per  cent  to  the  counties  from  which  derived.  The  county 
devotes  one-half  of  its  quota  to  roads  and  the  remaining  one-half 
is  distributed  among  all  the  districts  of  the  county  on  the  basis  of 
school  enumeration.  It  is  impossible  to  discuss  here  many  questions 
pertinent  to  the  gross  earnings  tax  in  Oklahoma.  The  very  fact  that 


70  PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

the  State  retains  two-thirds  of  the  proceeds  is  a  definite  recognition 
that  she  regards  these  natural  products  as  belonging  primarily  and 
chiefly  to  the  State  and  not  to  the  communities  in  which  they  are 
located.  This  suggests  at  once  the  possibility  of  increasing  State 
school  revenues,  by  reapportioning  the  gross  earnings  proceeds. 

A  survey  of  Table  13,  (see  page  57)  will  show  that  in 
some  cases  the  districts  which  derive  large  revenue  from  the  gross 
earnings  tax  are  among  the  wealthier  districts  and  therefore,  have 
less  need  of  revenue  from  this  source  than  districts  which  receive 
nothing  from  the  proceeds  of  the  gross  earnings  tax.  Only  a  careful 
study  of  the  situation  could  determine  whether  or  not  the  gross 
earnings  tax  could  be  advantageously  reapportioned,  and  if  so, 
how. 

NATURAL  RESOURCES  OF  THE  STATE  SHOULD  BE  TREAT 
•  ED  AS  PERMANENT  ENDOWMENT. 

Attention  should  be  called  to  the  fact  that  the  gross  earnings 
tax  is  levied  upon  products  which  are  severed  from  the  soil,  and  that 
the  removal  of  these  products  permanently  impoverishes  the  State. 
The  natural  resources  of  a  State  should  not  be  regarded  as  belong- 
ing to  any  single  generation,  but  rather  to  all  generations.  For  this 
reason  Oklahoma  should  follow  the  example  of  Minnesota  and  cer- 
tain other  States,  and  devote  the  proceeds  of  her  gross  earnings 
tax  to  her  permanent  educational  endowment  funds.  This  would 
deprive  the  State  and  the  schools  of  a  large  amount  of  current 
revenue.  It  must  be  evident,  however,  that  in  using  the  proceeds  oC 
the  gross  earnings  tax,  Oklahoma  is  using  up  what  is  essentially  a 
reserve  fund. 

In  a  State  which  is  still  as  largely  agricultural  as  Oklahoma, 
undoubtedly  the  major  portion  of  all  revenue  must  come  from  a 
general  property  tax.  The  rate  of  this  tax,  as  has  been,  suggested, 
should  not  be  fixed.  On  the  contrary,  it  should  be  determined  bien- 
nially on  the  basis  of  the  amount  of  money  which  the  State  needs, 
in  order  to  insure  to  each  school  the  funds  sufficient  to  equalize 
educational  opportunities. 

With  the  abolition  of  .the  school  district,  every  county  should 
be  required  to  levy  a  county  school  tax  of  a  minimum  rate. 

The  revenue  provided  by  the  State  should  be  turned  into  a 
State  equalization  fund.  Out  of  this  fund  there  should  be  insured 
a  minimum  sum  for  every  teaching  position  in  the  schools.  In  addi- 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  71 

tion,  the  State  should  provide  an  equalization  fund  to  be  distributed 
among  those  counties  which  levy  a  prescribed  county  rate  and  are 
yet  unable  to  raise  a  sum  per  child,  or  per  teacher  employed,  suffi- 
cient to  provide  satisfactory  facilities;  i.  e.,  facilities  measuring  up 
to  the  standards  established  by  the  State  Department  of  Education. 

In  striking  contrast  to  Oklahoma's  present  policy  of  depending 
less  and  less  upon  the  State  for  school  revenues,  we  may  note  a 
marked  tendency  in  more  progressive  States,  such  as  Washington, 
California,  Montana,  and  Texas  to  increase  greatly  the  quota  of 
State  school  moneys. 

California  in  1921  increased  the  amount  to  be  furnished  by  the 
State  from  $15  to  $30  for  every  pupil  in  average  daily  attendance 
in  high  schools,  and  from  $17.50  to  $30.00  for  every  pupil  in 
elementary  schools.  Every  county  in  California  is  required  to  levy  a 
tax  for  elementary  schools  sufficient  to  provide  $30.00  per  pupil  in 
average  daily  attendance,  and  an  additional  tax  sufficient  to  pro- 
vide $60.00  per  high  school  pupil  in  average  daily  attendance.  Col- 
orado, by  legislation  enacted  in  1921,  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  a  portion  of  the  income 
from  her  permanent  school  fund  to  be  used  if  necessary  to  insure 
the  maintenance  of  minimum  standards  as  to  teachers'  salaries. 

EECOMMENDATIONS 

Preceding  pages  have  described  existing  educational  conditions 
in  Oklahoma  and  present  policies;  they  have  not  only  pointed  out 
the  defects  but  have  in  many  instances  suggested  remedies.  They 
have  also  explained  the  reasons  for  many  of  these  recommendations. 
It  is  desirable  to  bring  together  here  at  the  close  of  this  chapter  a 
brief  resume  of  the  recommendations  offered.  There  are  added  to 
the  recommendations  already  specifically  presented,  certain  others 
which,  although  not  stated,  are,  by  implication  or  as  a  consequence 
of  principles  laid  down,  contained  therein. 

(1)  Abolish  the  present  antiquated,  unfair  methods  of  appor- 
tioning   State    school    moneys,    and    adopt    modernized,    scientific 
methods  which  will  recognize  variations  among  the   local  school 
units,  as  to  length  of  school  year,  assessed  valuation  per  child  in 
average  daily  attendance,  local  tax  rate,  aggregate  days  of  attend- 
ance, number  and   qualifications   of   school   officers   and   teachers 
employed. 

(2)  Abolish  present  plan  of  school  district  organization. 


72  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

(3)  Establish  the  county  as  the  local  school  unit. 

(4)  Remove  all  limitations  on  State  and  local  taxation. 

(5)  Establish  eight  months,  160  days,  as  the  minimum  school 
term,  beginning  in  1924-25,  and  nine  months  thereafter. 

(6)  Require  a  minimum  county  school  tax  of  not  less  than 
ten  mills,  the  proceeds  to  be  distributed  among  the  schools  of  the 
county  on  a  per-teacher  basis,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  recognize 
the  principles  set  forth  in  Recommendation  1,  in  so  far  as  these 
principles  have  application  within  the  county. 

(7)  Extend  to  counties  taxing  and  bonding  powers  for  school 
purposes.     The  plan  here  proposed  of  abolishing  school  districts 
and  of  establishing  the  county  as  the  local  unit  of  support  will 
equalize  local  rates  of  taxation  within  the  counties. 

(8)  Provide  a  State  equalization  fund  to  be  apportioned  among 
those  counties  which  levy  a  county  school  tax  of  15  mills  or  more 
but  are  unable  to  produce  thereby  for  every  child  of  school  age 
resident  in  the  county  a  quota  equal  to  the  State  average  county 
quota  per  child  derived  from  proceeds  of  such  county  taxes. 

(9)  Empower  and  require  the  State  Department  of  Educa- 
tion to  fix  and  to  modify  from  time  to  time,  as  conditions  seem  to 
warrant,  the  requirements  and  standards  which  counties  must  meet 
in  order  to  receive  quotas  of  State  moneys. 

(10)  Require  county  and  all  other  school  boards  to  prepare 
annually  a  budget  of  estimated  school  costs  for  the  next  succeed- 
ing year,  such  budget  to  be  submitted  to  the  proper  authorities  and 
used  as  a  basis  for  levying  taxes. 

(11)  Require  the  counties  to  formulate  and  provide  for  the 
carrying  out  of  a  county  building  program,  to  provide  new  build- 
ings and  other  new  school  property. 

(12)  Abolish  the  office  of  county  superintendent  as  an  elec- 
tive office,  and  place  the  appointment  and  fixing  of  the  salary  of 
the  county  superintendent  in  the  hands  of  the  County  Board  of 
Education,  subject  only  to  the  limits  as  to  professional  qualifica- 
tions and  minimum  salary  fixed  by  the  State  Board  of  Education. 

(13)  Establish   an   amount   not   less   than   that  paid  to   city 
superintendents  in  first  class  city  systems  as  the  minimum  salary  of 
county  superintendents.    The  office  of  county  superintendent  should 
be   thoroughly   professionalized.      Nowhere   is    skilled   supervision 
more  important  than  in  rural  communities,  owing  to  the  large  num- 
bers of  untrained  and  inexperienced  teachers  to  be  found  in  such 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  73 

communities.     Specific  and  high  professional  qualifications  should 
be  prerequisites  for  eligibility  to  the  office. 

(14)  Provide  for  every  county  supervisors  or  teacher-helpers 
of  qualifications  sufficient  to  entitle  said  supervisor  to  a  salary  not 
less  than  that  paid  to  expert  supervisors  employed  in  first  class  city 
school  systems,  appointment  to  be  made  by  county  board  of  educa- 
tion on  nomination  of  the  county  superintendent  upon  the  basis  of 
qualifications  fixed  by  the  State  Board  of  Education. 

(15)  Provide  for  a  State  graduated  income  tax  upon  the  pro- 
ceeds of  which  public  schools  and  other  educational  institutions 
shall  have  first  claim. 

(16)  Create  a  State  special  commission  on  taxation.     Such  a 
commission  is  needed  at  the  present  time  in  Oklahoma  to  make  a 
thorough  study  of  her  system  of  assessing  property  and  levying  and 
collecting  taxes.     The   State   Board   of   Equalization  insists   that 
property  is  now  assessed  at  its  fair  cash  value.     Members  of  the 
survey  staff  frequently  heard  it  stated  by  individual  citizens  that 
property  is  assessed  at  not  more  than  one-third  its  true  value,  and 
striking  examples  supporting  these  statements  were  given. 

(17)  Create   a   State  interim  legislative    educational   budget 
commission,  which  shall  prepare  and  recommend  to  the  next  legis- 
lature an  educational  budget. 

(18)  Provide  for  the  raising  by  State  taxation  of  funds  suffi- 
cient to  finance  all  educational  projects,  positions,  and  institutions 
subsidized  by  the  State. 

(19)  Provide  for  the  State  Department  of  Education  funds 
sufficient  to  enable  it  to  dispense  entirely  with  aid  from  private 
foundations. 

(20)  Place  the  appointment  and  the  fixing  of  the  salary  of 
the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in  the  hands  of  the 
State  Board  of  Education. 

(21)  Provide  a  salary  fund  for  the  State  Department  of  Edu- 
cation sufficient  to  enable  the  State  Board  of  Education  to  employ 
a   State   Superintendent   capable    of   commanding   from   $7,000   to 
$10,000,  and  to  pay  other  members  of  the  staff  proportionately,  in 
each  case  the  salary  to  be  determined  on  the  basis  of  professional 
qualifications. 

(22)  Establish  and  provide  for  the  maintenance  of  a  Division 
of  School  Buildings  within  the  State  Department  of  Education. 


74  PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

(23)  Provide  for  State  continuing  appropriations  sufficient  to 
match  federal,  private,  and  all  other  subventions  the  receipt   of 
which  requires  moneys  provided  from  within  the  State. 

(24)  Abolish  6  to  21  years  as  the  scholastic  age,,  and  establish 
in  its  stead  as  the  scholastic  age,  5  to  18  years. 

(25)  Provide  that  State  tax  rates  for  educational  projects 
shall  be  determined  biennially  on  the  basis  of  the  amount  of  money 
required,  in  addition  to  that  available  from  the  endowment  fund 
and  all  other  continuing  sources,  to  provide  adequate  funds  for  all 
educational  projects  to  be  subsidized  by  the  State. 

(26)  Provide  State  funds  to  grant  special  additional  aid  to 
encourage   consolidation,   transportation,   free  textbooks,   and  em- 
ployment of  teachers,  superintendents,  and  other  school  officers  of 
qualifications  higher  than  the  lawful  minimum,   and  to   subsidize 
new  and  progressive  types  of  educational  effort. 

(27)  Empower  and  require  the  State  Board  of  Education  to 
establish  and  modify  from  time  to  time,  as  conditions  warrant,  a 
scale  of  educational  and  professional  requirements  for  all  positions 
to  be  subsidized  entirely  or  in  part  by  the  State,  and  a  correspond- 
ing salary  scale  in  which  salaries  paid  shall  vary  according  to  the 
professional  preparation,  experience,  and  class  of  certificate  of  the 
incumbent. 

(28)  Provide  for  an  adequate  and  reliable  school  census. 

(29)  Require  the  State  Department  of  Education  to  prepare  a 
uniform  system   of  recording  receipts   and   expenditures,   and   an 
accompanying  handbook  of  detailed  instructions  such  as  have  been 
compiled  by  the  State  departments  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania. 

(30)  Require  the  State  Department  of  Education  to  furnish 
free  to  counties  all  forms  for  financial  accounting  and  reporting. 

(31)  Summarizing  the  most  important  tendency  of  forward 
looking  legislation  which  underlies  many  of  the  recommendations 
contained  in  the  preceding  sections,  a  tendency  which  must  be  recog- 
nized and  accepted  before  school  burdens  and  educational  opportuni- 
ties can  be  equalized  in  any  thorough-going  manner : 

Place  upon  the  State  (which  is  the  only  unit  capable  of  equal- 
izing school  burdens  and  educational  opportunities)  the  major  por- 
tion of  the  burden  of  school  support  by  requiring  the  State  to  fur- 
nish funds  sufficient  to  pay  the  minimum  wage  to  which  every  in- 
cumbent of  an  educational  position  is  entitled  by  reason  of  his  qual- 
ifications, professional,  and  otherwise.  This  recommendation  covers 


PROBLEMS  OF  FINANCING  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS  75 

salaries  of  superintendents,   assistants,  rural  supervisors,   and  all 
members  of  the  staff  of  the  State  Board  of  Education. 

The  important  items  of  expenditure  which  would  be  left  to  the 
local  communities  to  subsidize,  if  this  recommendation  be  adopted, 
would  be  school  buildings,  sites,  equipment,  cost  of  furnishing  re- 
pairs and  operating  school  buildings,  as  well  as  all  fixed  charges. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

REPORT  ON  THE  FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCED- 
URE OF  THE  SCHOOLS  OF  THE  STATE  OF  OKLAHOMA. 

INTRODUCTION. 

The  question  as  to  what  could  be  covered  most  effectively  and 
be  of  the  most  service  to  the  people  of  Oklahoma,  in  a  survey 
of  the  financial  and  accounting  procedure  of  the  schools  of  the 
state,  within  the  limited  time  allotted,  was  decided  in  favor  of 
the  elementary  and  secondary  schools.  Much  that  applies  to  the 
larger  and  independent  school  organizations  of  cities  is  also  appli- 
cable, to  a  greater  or  less  extent,  to  the  institutions  of  higher 
education.  Accordingly,  aside  from  a  cursory  examination  of 
the  financial  and  accounting  procedure  of  the  normal  schools, 
colleges,  and  of  the  university,  on  the  one  hand,  and  of  the  special 
and  separate  schools,  on  the  other  hand,  attention  was  centered 
on  the  financial  and  accounting  procedure  of  the  elementary  and 
secondary  schools  of  the  cities,  towns,  and  rural  districts,  selecting 
for  this  purpose  typical  city  and  county  school  systems. 

The  result  of  this  study  is  incorporated  in  the  following  re- 
port, which  consists  of:  First,  a  general  statement  of  existing 
organization  and  procedure;  and  Second,  criticisms  of  the  con- 
ditions found,  and  constructive  suggestions  as  to  their  betterment. 
Supplementing  the  latter,  various  financial  statements  have  been 
prepared  as  graphic  examples  of  the  suggestions  made,  and  these 
statements  are  submitted  in  the  form  of  exhibits  accompanying 
the  report. 

The  general  statement  of  organization  and  procedure  covers 
the  forms  of  school  organization,  jurisdiction  and  general  control, 
custody  and  disbursement  of  funds,  financial  control  and  budget 
procedure,  acquisition  of  property,  and  accounting  methods. 

Criticisms  and  constructive  suggestions  are  presented  under 
three  heads,  budgetary  procedure,  accounting  methods,  and  financ- 
ing methods.  Under  these  heads  the  criticisms  in  brief  are  as 
follows : 

76 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  77 

A.  Budgetary  Procedure. 

1.  Organization  for  financial  control  erroneous. 

2.  Methods    of    presenting    information    regarding    school 
finance  tend  to  confuse  rather  than  to  inform  the  pub- 
lic. 

3.  Methods  of  estimating  revenues  extraordinarily  conserv- 
ative. 

4.  Duplication  of  appropriation  accounts. 

B.  Accounting  Methods. 

1.  Practice   of  reporting   revenues   and   expenditures   only 
under  heads   of   General   Fund   and   Sinking1  Fund   er- 
roneous. 

2.  Appropriation   accounts   reflect   objects    of   expenditure 
with  little  regard  to  purpose  and  character. 

3.  Appropriation  accounts  not  followed  explicitly  when  in- 
curring expenditures. 

4.  Financial  statements  issued  in  the  form  of  balance  sheets 
without  being  accompanied  by  operation  statements. 

5.  Financial    statements    showing    functional    expenditures 
can  be  developed  to  further  advantage. 

6.  School  annual  statistical  reports  to  State  Superintendent 
of  Education  subject  to  improvement. 

C.  Financing  Methods. 

1.  Bond  issues  permissible  on  too  liberal  a  basis. 

2.  Authorization  to   use  sinking  funds  -to   pay  judgments 
unsound  finance. 

3.  Policy  in  regard  to  investing  sinking  funds  questionable. 

4.  The  issue  of  sinking  fund  bonds  a  costly  method  of  finan- 
cing. 

In  making  these  criticisms  and  suggestions,  it  is  to  be  under 
stood  that  they  are  predicated  upon  a  very  hasty  examination; 
and  that  the  financial  reports  have  been  prepared  with  equal  rapid- 
ity. These  financial  reports  may  contain  minor  errors  due  to  the 
fact  that  in  many  instances  they  have  been  compiled  from  incom- 
plete records  and  from  records  not  designed  to  give  financial 
data  in  the  form  here  presented.  Any  such  errors,  however,  if 
they  should  exist,  would  be  immaterial  and  have  little  effect  upon  the 
general  conclusions.  In  the  main,  however,  it  is  believed  that  these 
statements  are  as  near  correct  as  is  possible  under  the  circumstances. 


78  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

It  is  also  to  be  understood  that  these  criticisms  are  in  no  sense 
criticisms  of  individuals,  but  of  methods  and  procedure.  In  fact, 
in  numerous  instances,  individuals  were  found  to  be  producing  re- 
markable results  considering  the  difficulties  under  which  they  la- 
bored. Questions  were  answered  freely,  information  was  given 
willingly,  and  there  was  no  hesitation  whatever  about  exhibiting 
any  and  all  records  requested  for  examination. 

GENERAL  STATEMENT  OF  ORGANIZATION  AND  PROCED- 
URE. 

A.  FORMS  OF  SCHOOL  ORGANIZATION. 

A  discussion  of  school  systems  from  the  financial  and  account- 
ing point  of  view  begins  with  the  forms  of  school  organization. 

The  common  school  organizations  of  the  state  of  Oklahoma  may 
be  primarily  classified  under  two  heads,  independent  school  dis- 
tricts and  non-independent  school  districts. 

An  independent  school  district  is  one  that  maintains  a  four- 
year  high  school  fully  accredited  with  the  state  university,  and 
contains  an  incorporated  town.  Independent  school  districts  are 
divided  into : 

1.  City  school   districts   which   consist   of   municipal   corpor- 
ations of  more  than  2,000  population  and  which  also  have 
a  city  charter. 

2.  Town  school  districts  which  consist  of  either  incorporated 
towns  of  more  than  2,000  population  which  have  no  city 
charter,  or  incorporated  towns  of  less  than  2,000  population, 
and  in  either  case  maintain  an  accredited  high  school. 

3.  United  school  districts  which  are  composed  of  one  or  more 
adjacent  independent  school  districts  united  for  the  pur- 
pose of  maintaining  a  stronger  school  system. 

Non-independent  school  districts  consist  of  district  schools, 
union  graded  schools,  consolidated  schools,  and  separate  schools 
which  are  as  follows : 

1.  District  schools  located  in  towns,  villages,  or  in  the  country, 
and  serving  an  area  of  not  less  than  six  square  miles.    They 
are  for  the  most  part  elementary  schools  although  some 
maintain  certain  high  school  grades. 

2.  Consolidated  schools  consist  of  one  or  more  adjacent  district 
schools  combined  and  serving  an  area  of  not  less  than  twen- 
ty-five square  miles,  and  authorized  to  provide  free  trans- 
portation of  pupils  to  and  from  school. 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  79 

3.  Union  graded  schools  consist  of  two  or  more  adjacent  dis- 
trict schools  maintaining  one  central  school  in  which  in- 
struction is  given  to  pupils  above  the  sixth  grade  to  and 
including  high  school  work. 

4.  Separate  schools  which  consist  of : 

(a)  Schools  for  children  of  negro  blood,  whether  district 
schools,  consolidated  schools,  or  union  graded  schools, 
and  whether  located  in  cities,  towns,  villages  or  in 
the  country;  except  in  cities  and  incorporated  towns 
where  a  majority  of  the  population  is  negro,  in  which 
case  the  negro  schools  may  constitute  the  independ- 
ent school  district. 

(b)  Schools  for  children  not  of  negro  blood,  located  in 
cities,  incorporated  towns,  village  or  rural  districts, 
where  the  majority  of  the  population  is  negro  and 
in   which  the   schools  for  negro   children   constitute 
the  independent  school  district. 

B.     JURISDICTION  AND  GENERAL  CONTROL. 

Independent  school  districts  are  under  the  jurisdiction  and  gen- 
eral control  of  boards  of  education  as  follows : 

1.  In  cities  of  more  than  50,000  population  the  board  con- 
sists of  two  members  elected  from  each  ward,  provided  the 
number  of  wards  do  not  exceed  five,  who  hold  office  four 
years,  one  being  elected  at  each  biennial  election. 

2.  In  cities  of  less  than  50,000  the  board  consists  of  one  mem- 
ber from  each  ward  and  one  from  the  outlying  territory, 
all  serving  four  years,  two  being  elected  at  one  biennial 
election  and  the  balance  at  another;  provided  that  in  cities 
of  less  than  5,000  population,  if  there  be  no  outlying  district, 
one  member  shall  be  elected  at  large. 

3.  Instead  of  the  above,  any  city  may  adopt  by  popular  vote 
a 'charter  containing  such  provisions  as  to  membership  of 
boards   of  education,   terms   of  office   of   board  members, 
and  time  of  election,  as  it  may  desire. 

4.  In  united  school  districts  the  board  of  education  is  compos- 
ed of  one  member  from  each  ward  in  each  city  of  the  united 
district,   the  term   of   office   and  the   time   of   election   of 
each  member  being  the  same  as  provided  for  boards  of  edu- 
cation in  independent  school  districts. 


80  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

5.  As  to  boards  of  education  of  independent  school  districts 
in  incorporated  towns,  the  school  law  does  not  appear  spec- 
ific ;  but  in  view  of  the  provisions  in  the  school  law  regard- 
ing school  boards  in  cities  school  districts,  it  is  reasonable 
to  assume  that  the  intent  of  the  legislature,  in  framing  the 
law,  was  to  prescribe  the  same  kinds  of  boards  of  education 
for  town  independent  school  districts  as  regarding 
authority.  The  boards  of  education  in  all  independent 
school  districts  are  by  the  school  law  given  to  a  limited  ex- 
tent a  general  grant  of  power. 

Non-independent  school   districts   are   under   jurisdiction  and 
general  control  as  follows: 

1.  School  districts,  consolidated  districts,  and  union  graded 
districts  are  each  governed  by  a  school  board  of  three  mem- 
bers, consisting  of  a  director,  member  and  a  clerk.      They 
are    elected   by   popular   vote,    each   in    a   different   year, 
and  each  serves  three  years.      Their  duties  are  specifically 
set  forth  in  the  school  law,  those   of  the   director  being 
to  preside   at   all   district  meetings  and  meetings   of   the 
board,  and  to  sign  warrants  which  have  been  prepared  by 
the  clerk  after  their  authorization  in  a  district  or  board 
meeting. 

2.  Separate  schools  are  under  two  forms  of  control : 

(a)  Schools  for  negro  children,  in  a  city  whose  charter 
so   provides,   are   under   the   board   of   education    of 
the  independent  school  district  comprised  of  schools 
for  children  not  of  negro  blood. 

(b)  Separate  schools,  not  in  cities,  for  negro  children  and 
likewise  for  children  not  of  negro  blood  are  collect- 
ively under  the  jurisdiction  and  general  control  of 
the     superintendent   of  education   of  the   county   in 
which  the  separate  schools  are  located.      That  official 
is  elected  by  popular  vote  and  serves  a  term  of  two 
years. 

C.     CUSTODY  AND  DISBURSEMENT  OF  FUNDS. 

1.     Independent  school  districts. 

In  cities,  unless  their  charters  provide  otherwise,  a 
school  treasurer  is  elected  at  large  by  popular  vote  and 
serves  a  term  of  three  years. 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  81 

Elsewhere  than  in  cities,  boards  of  education  are 
authorized  to  elect  a  school  treasurer,  not  a  member  of  the 
board. 

School  treasurers  receive  the  school  funds  of  their  re- 
spective districts,  including  the  taxes  which  are  collected 
by  the  county  treasurer  and  periodically  turned  over  to 
them ;  and  disburse  the  same  on  warrants  signed  by  the  pres- 
ident of  the  board,  or,  in  his  absence,  by  the  vice-president, 
and  countersigned  by  the  clerk. 
2.  Non-independent  school  districts. 

The  county  treasurer  acts  as  treasurer  for  all  the  non- 
independent  school  districts  and  separate  schools  in  the 
county.  He  is  authorized  to  disburse  the  funds  of  each 
school  district  on  warrants  signed  by  the  director  and  clerk 
thereof,  and  to  pay  interest  coupons  and  bonds  of  the  dis- 
trict. He  is  required  on  or  before  the  first  Tuesday  in 
July  to  furnish  to  each  school  district  board  of  his  county 
a  certified  report  showing  the  moneys  received  and  dis- 
bursed by  him  during  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30th, 
and  the  amount  of  all  assets  on  hand  at  the  close  of  such 
fiscal  year  available  for  that  district. 

The* county  treasurer  also  acts  as  treasurer  for  the 
separate  schools  in  his  county.  He  disburses  the  funds  of 
these  schools  on  warrants  issued  by  the  county  clerk  and 
countersigned  by  the  county  superintendent  of  education, 
provided  the  county  clerk  drawrs  no  warrant  for  a  greater 
amount  for  teachers  than  is  paid  the  like  number  of  teachers 
for  like  service  in  other  schools  for  that  county.  The  school 
law  does  not  appear  to  require  the  county  treasurer  to  make 
any  statemnet  to  anyone  of  the  financial  condition  of  the 
separate  schools. 

D.     FINANCIAL  CONTROL  AND  BUDGET  PROCEDURE. 

In  each  county  of  the  state  there  exists  a  county  excise  board 
which  exercises  financial  control  over  all  common  schools  in  the 
county  whether  the  schools  be  independent  or  non-independent, 
whether  they  be  city,  town,  village,  rural,  or  separate  schools.  A 
county  excise  board  is  composed  of  seven  members,  consisting  of 
a  county  clerk,  county  treasurer,  county  superintendent  of  edu- 
cation, county  judge,  county  assessor,  county  attorney,  and  a  desig- 


82  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

nated  member  of  the  board  of  commissioners,  which  latter  board 
is  the  county  legislative  body  consisting  of  three  commissioners. 

The  budgets  of  all  common  schools  within  a  county  must  be 
submitted  by  their  boards  of  education  to  the  county  excise  board 
for  approval,  with  the  exception  of  separate  schools  not  in  cities. 
The  budgets  of  these  separate  schools  are  submitted  to  the  county 
excise  board  by  the  county  superintendent  of  education. 

The  procedure  for  the  preparation  of  school  budgets  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

1.     For  independent  school  districts. 

The  board  of  education  of  each  city  independent  school  district 
is  required  to  prepare,  on  or  before  the  second  Tuesday  in  May  of 
each  year,  a  statement  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  school  dis- 
trict together  with  a  detailed  estimate  of  receipts  and  proposed  ex- 
penditures for  the  ensuing  school  year,  i.  e.,  July  1st  of  the  current 
calendar  year  to  June  30th  of  the  following  year;  and  in  the  event 
that  the  assessed  valuation  of  the  said  school  district  is  not  suffi- 
cient by  a  levy  of  five  mills  to  create  a  fund  necessary  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  common  schools  of  the  district  for  the  ensuing  year,  the 
board  has  the  authority  to  call  an  election  on  or  before  the  second 
Tuesday  in  May  and  thus  submit  the  question  of  an  excess  tax  levy 
to  popular  vote.  • 

Whether  or  not  an  excess  tax  levy  is  necessary,  the  board 
of  education  is  required  to  submit  to  the  county  excise  board,  on 
or  before  the  second  Tuesday  in  July,  its  budget  for  the  new  fiscal 
year  beginning  on  July  1st;  and  if  an  excess  tax  levy  election  has 
been  held,  to  notify  the  excise  board  of  that  fact  and  of  the  result 
of  the  election. 

The  county  excise  board  meets  on  the  last  Saturday  in  July  and 
continues  in  session,  adjourning  from  day  to  day,  until  it  has  exam- 
ined the  estimates  and  determined  the  appropriations  for  the  new 
fiscal  year.  The  appropriations  for  boards  of  education  of  inde- 
pendent school  districts  are  required  to  be  itemized  so  as  to  show 
separately  the  amount  of  funds  appropriated  for : 

(1)  Salaries  and  compensation   of   officers   and  clerical   em- 
ployees. 

(2)  Salaries  and  compensation  of  teachers. 

(3)  Office  supplies,  blank  books,  stationery,  and  printing. 

(4)  Light,  fuel,  and  water. 

(5)  Library  and  school  apparatus. 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  83 

(6)  Furniture  and  fixtures. 

(7)  Building  sites  and  other  real  estate. 

(8)  Construction   of  new  buildings,   with  the   appropriation 
for  each  building  separately  stated. 

(9)  Maintenance  and  caretakers. 

(10)  Other  expenditures. 

Regardless  of  the  items  for  current  expenses  or  any  vote  there- 
on, the  excise  board  is  authorized  to  appropriate  annually  the 
amounts  required  for  a  sinking  fund  to  pay  bond  interest  and  prin- 
cipal and  for  the  payment  of  judgements.  1  < 

1     Session  Laws,  issue  of  1921,  Chapter  226 

The  excise  board  has  the  authority  to  revise  and  correct  any 
estimate  by  striking  items  therefrom,  increasing  items  thereof,  or 
adding  items  thereto,  when  in  its  opinion  the  needs  of  the  municipal- 
ity shall  require;  with  the  exception  of  where  an  excess  tax  levy 
has  been  approved  by  popular  vote. 

In  this  event  the  excise  board  has  neither  the  power  to  reduce 
the  estimate  unless  the  levy  so  voted  shall  be  insufficient  to  meet 
the  estimate. 

When  the  excise  board  has  determined  the  appropriations  for 
current  expense  and  sinking  fund  purposes  "with  ten  per  cent 
added  thereto  for  delinquent  tax,  they  shall  make  the  levies  there- 
for, after  deducting  from  the  total  so  computed  the  amount  of  any 
surplus  balance  or  levy,  ascertained  to  be  on  hand  from  the  pre- 
vious fiscal  year  or  years,  together  with  amount  of  the  probable 
income  of  each  from  all  sources  other  than  ad  valorem  taxation, 
provided  that  in  no  event  shall  the  amount  of  estimated  income  ex- 
ceed the  actual  collections  from  such  source  for  the  previous  fiscal 
year.  The  rates  of  levy  for  current  expense  purposes  and  sinking 
fund  purposes  shall  be  separately  made  and  stated  and  the  revenue 
accruing  therefrom  shall  be  known  as  the  general  fund  and  sinking 
fund  respectively".  1 

1     Session  Laws,  issue  of  1921,  Chapter  226 

When  the  estimates  approved  by  the  excise  board  have  been 
certified  to  by  the  board  of  education,  they  become  the  legal  appro- 
priations within  which  the  schools  must  be  operated.  No  appro- 
priation may  be  used  for  any  other  fiscal  year  or  purpose  whatever, 
and  no  warrant  issued  in  excess  thereof. 


84  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

Subsequently,  whatever  the  needs  of  the  school  district  shall 
require,  the  excise  board  may  convene  and  make  supplemental  ap- 
propriations for  current  expenditures,  provided  that  all  such  appro- 
priations come  within  the  limitations  of  the  Constitution  and  are 
not  in  excess  of  the  school  district  revenue  provided  or  accumulated 
for  the  year.  The  procedure  incident  to  the  request  for  and  the 
granting  of  supplemental  appropriations  is  similar  to  that  incident 
to  original  appropriations,  in  that  boards  of  education  are  requir- 
ed to  file  a  statement  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  school  dis- 
trict at  the  close  of  the  month  next  preceding  the  filing  of  request 
for  supplemental  appropriations  and  a  statement  of  the  amount 
and  purpose  of  the  requested  appropriations. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  excise  board  ascertains  the  surplus 
revenue  is  insufficient  for  any  additional  needs  of  the  county  or 
other  municipal  subdivision,  that  board  appears  to  have  the  author- 
ity to  revoke  or  cancel  in  whole  or  in  part  any  appropriation  or 
appropriations  or  parts  thereof  previously  made  to  any  school 
district  and  to  make  in  lieu  thereof  such  supplemental  appropri- 
ations as  in  their  judgment  the  interest  of  the  public  may  require ; 
provided  that  no  appropriation  or  part  thereof  may  be  revoked  or 
cancelled  against  which  there  may  be  an  unpaid  claim  or  contract 
pending. 

It  is  -to  be  presumed  from  the  above  that  the  excise  board  has 
the  authority  to  convene  and  sanction  the  requests  of  the  board 
of  education  for  transfers  from  one  appropriation  to  another  pro- 
vided the  funds  exist  and  the  aggregate  of  the  original  appropri- 
ations is  not  exceeded. 

The  board  of  education  of  each  town  independent  school  district 
appears  to  function  according  to  the  same  procedure  in  regard 
to  estimates  and  appropriations  as  that  prescribed  for  cities,  includ- 
ing the  authority  to  submit  to  popular  vote  the  question  of  an 
excess  tax  levy  not  to  exceed  ten  mills.  1 

1     School  law,  issue  of  1921,  Sec.  438. 

2.     For  non-independent  school  districts. 

(a)  Each  school  district  board  of  a  non-independent  school 
district  is  required  to  present  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  school 
district  on  the  last  Tuesday  in  March  of  each  year  a  statement  of 
the  money  raised  by  the  district  in  the  year  and  the  purpose  for 
which  it  was  raised,  and  of  the  warrants  drawn  on  the  custodian 
for  the  past  fiscal  year.  The  board  is  required  to  meet  also  on  the 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  85 

second  Tuesday  in  July  of  each  year  and  through  its  director 
present  to  the  county  excise  board  the  budget  of  the  school  district 
for  the  fiscal  year  just  beginning.  The  details  of  the  procedure, 
including  style  of  financial  statements  and  estimates  of  receipts 
and  expenditures,  are  very  much  the  same  as  for  independent 
school  districts.  The  non-independent  school  districts  also  have 
the  authority  to  levy  by  popular  vote  a  ten  mill  additional  tax.  1 

1     School  law,  issue  of  1921,  Sec.  438  and  State  Constitution,  Article  X,  Sec.  9. 

(b)  The  separate  schools  which  are  under  the  jurisdiction  of 
county  superintendents  have  their  budgets  prepared  by  those  offic- 
ials. 

The  budgets  of  all  separate  schools  are  prepared  in  practically 
the  same  way  and  are  subject  to  practically  the  same  restrictions 
as  the  budgets  for  other  schools.  After  appropriations  to  a  sepa- 
rate school  have  been  made  by  an  excise  board,  that  board  at  a 
subsequent  meeting  may  increase,  revise,  or  reduce  the  appropri- 
ations. 
E.  ACQUISITION  OF  PROPERTY. 

1.  By  Taxation. 

The  school  district  board  of  any  school  district  or  the  board 
of  education  of  any  independent  school  district,  when  the  question 
has  been  submitted  to  and  approved  by  popular  vote,  is  authorized 
to  contract  for  or  acquire  necessary  buildings  and  additions  there- 
to, to  be  paid  for  by  an  annual  rental,  and  to  levy  an  annual  tax  of 
not  more  than  three  mills  for  the  payment  of  such  rental ;  provided 
the  total  tax  levy  is  within  the  constitutional  mill  limitation.  When 
such  a  contract  is  entered  into  and  the  total  amount  cannot  be 
paid  within  ten  years  by  the  three  mill  levy,  the  question  of  an 
additional  three  mill  annual  levy  may  be  also  submitted  to  popular 
vote.  The  total  amount  of  the  increased  levy,  however,  together  with 
other  indebtedness,  must  not  exceed  five  mills  on  the  dollar  of  the  as- 
sessed value  of  taxable  property  in  such  school  district. 

2.  By  bond  issue. 

Any  school  district  may  issue  bonds  for  the  purpose  of  pur- 
chasing school  sites,  purchasing  or  erecting  school  buildings,  pur- 
chasing furniture,  or  for  repairing  school  buildings  and  grounds 
provided  the  amount  together  with  existing  indebtedness  does  not 
exceed  five  per  cent  (5  per  cent)  of  the  valuation  of  the  taxable 
property  within  such  school  district  as  shown  by  the  last  preceding 
assessment  for  state  and  county  purposes;  and  provided  that  the 


86  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

question  has  been  submitted  to  popular  vote  and  received  the  ap- 
proval of  three-fifths  of  the  voters  voting  theron.  When  the 
vote  on  such  a  question  is  in  the  affirmative,  such  approval  carries 
with  it  the  authorization  annually  of  an  additional  tax  levy  sufficient 
to  pay  the  interest  on  the  bonds  and  to  create  a  sinking  fund  for 
the  payment  of  the  principal. 

When  bonds  are  issued  by  independent  school  districts  of 
cities,  they  must  be  payable  within  twenty-five  years  from  date  of 
issue,  the  interest  on  same  may  be  not  more  than  five  per  cent  per 
annum,  and  the  bonds  sold  at  not  less  than  par. 

When  bonds  are  issued  by  non-independent  school  districts, 
they  must  be  payable  within  twenty  years  from  date  of 
issue,  the  denominations  of  the  bonds  limited  to  not  less  than  one 
hundred  dollars  each,  the  interest  on  same  limited  to  seven  per 
cent  per  annum,  and  the  bonds  must  be  sold  at  not  less  than  par; 
and  if  any  commission  has  been  allowed  on  their  sale,  the  proceeds 
after  deducting  the  commission  must  be  equal  to  the  par  value  of 
the  bonds  plus  the  accrued  interest  thereon.  The  provisions  regard- 
ing the  issuing  of  bonds  by  independent  school  districts  in  towns 
appear  to  be  the  same  as  those  for  cities. 

Every  school  district  is  authorized  to  refund  not  only  its 
bonds,  provided  they  have  been  outstanding  not  less  than  two  years, 
but  also  other  indebtedness  including  judgments  and  warrants; 
and  to  issue  new  bonds  therefor  to  run  for  a  period  not  to  exceed 
twenty-five  years,  with  interest  thereon  not  to  exceed  six  per  cent, 
and  the  bonds  to  be  sold  at  not  less  than  par. 

The  treasurers  of  independent  school  districts,  and  the  county 
treasurers  who  are  the  treasurers  of  non-independent  school  dis- 
tricts, are  authorized  to  invest  sinking  funds  in  United  States 
bonds,  the  bonds  or  warrants  of  the  state,  county,  city,  town,  town- 
ship, or  school  districts,  provided  the  same  are  purchased  at  not 
less  than  par  and  accrued  interest;  and  all  such  treasurers  are  re- 
quired to  deposit  daily  at  not  less  than  four  per  cent  interest  per 
annum  all  uninvested  sinking  funds,  with  the  proviso  that  any 
school  treasurer  who  fails  to  make  such  deposits  is  liable  for  double 
the  amount  of  the  interest  lost. 

F.    ACCOUNTING  METHODS. 

The  accounting  methods  of  various  schools  visited  vary  from 
the  elaborate  and  complex  to  the  simple,  elemental,  and  meagre. 


FINANCIAL,  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  87 

The  accounts  of  the  schools  maintained  by  the  clerks  of  the 
boards  of  education  appear  to  be  designed  primarily  to  show 
the  costs  of  objects  of  expenditure;  i.  e.,  salaries,  heat  and  light, 
supplies,  repairs,  and  the  cost  of  each  building  and  site,  equipment, 
etc.,  etc.,  which  accounts,  of  course,  reflect  the  budgetary  appro- 
priations. In  only  the  larger  school  systems  apparently  are  ac- 
counts maintained  from  which  a  balance  sheet  or  an  operating 
statement  can  be  drawn.  This  is  true  also  of  the  separate  schools. 

The  accounts  of  school  treasurers  vary  between  a  duplica- 
tion of  the  detailed  accounts  of  the  clerk  of  the  board  of  education 
to  a  maintenance  of  but  two  accounts  one  representing  receipts 
and  expenditures  pertaining  to  the  general  fund,  and  the  other 
representing  the  receipts  and  expenditures  pertaining  to  the  sink- 
ing fund.  The  school  treasurers  to  a  large  extent  are  bank  officers 
who,  through  their  election  as  treasurers,  bring  the  school  accounts 
to  their  banks,  which  means  that  the  school  depositories  are  po- 
litically selected. 

All  county  treasurers  in  preparing  their  annual  statements  of 
school  receipts  and  expenditures,  which  they  are  required  to  trans- 
mit to  boards  of  education,  use  special  accounting  forms  prescribed 
by  the  State  Examiner  and  Inspector. 

In  the  offices  of  the  county  clerks,  records  are  also  maintained 
of  school  expenditures  for  not  only  the  separate  schools  but  also  the 
district,  town  and  city  schools,  both  independent  and  non-independ- 
ent. These  accounts  are  maintained  as  information  for  the  county 
excise  boards  who  exercise  jurisdiction  over  the  appropriations  of 
all  the  schools. 

CRITICISMS  AND  CONSTRUCTIVE  SUGGESTIONS. 
A.     BUDGETARY  PROCEDURE. 

The  zeal  with  which  Oklahoma  has  committed  itself  to  the 
idea  of  budgetary  control  of  public  expenditures,  as  evidenced  in 
the  written  law  of  the  State,  is  deserving  of  the  highest  commend- 
ation. The  preparation  of  a  plan  in  regard  to  expenditures,  and 
its  review  before  adoption,  are  unquestionably  good  business,  pro- 
vided the  plan  is  not  so  elaborate  and  involved  that  its  substance  is 
obscured  in  a  maze  of  detail. 

The  incorporation  of  so  much  detail  as  to  the  presentation 
of  budgetary  data,  which  appears  in  the  statutes  of  Oklahoma, 
and  the  forms  of  organization  procedure  prescribed  for  their  re- 
view in  so  far  as  they  relate  to  the  schools,  is  open  to  serious 


88  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

question.  The  effect  of  this  policy  is  that  the  school  law  of 
Oklahoma  abounds  with  financial  restrictions  and  limitations.  Un- 
qestionably  every  one  of  the  restrictions  and  limitations  has  been 
inserted  in  the  law  with  the  belief  and  expectation  that  it  would 
prevent  loss  or  fraud.  Undoubtedly,  in  numerous  instances  that 
has  been  the  result ;  but  on  the  other  hand  these  restrictions,  which 
unfortunately  are  interwoven  with  conflicting  ideas,  have  put  the 
schools  in  such  a  financial  straight- jacket  that  they  have  discourag- 
ed initiative  and  stunted  the  growth  of  individual  responsibility, 
thereby  reducing  efficiency. 

1.    Organization  for  financial  control  erroneous. 

The  arrangement  of  financial  control  of  the  schools  by  the 
county  excise  board,  from  the  viewpoint  of  education  is  erroneous 
for  the  following  reasons : 

(a)  The  possibility  of  development  and  growth  of  educational 
policies  is  negative,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  group  is  com- 
posed of  conflicting  interests,  only  one  member  of  the  board,  the 
county  superintendent  of  education,  having  any  particular  interest 
in  educational  results. 

(b)  Authority  of  the  excise  board  to  revise  and  correct  any 
•school  estimate  by  striking  items  therefrom,  increasing  items  there- 
of, or  adding  items  thereto,  means  that  the  management  of  the 
schools  is  virtually  in  the  hands  of  that  board,  whereas  only  one 
member  of  the  board,  the  county  superintendent  of  education,  has 
any  responsibility  for  educational  results. 

Only  when  an  excess  school  tax,  together  with  the  financial 
statement  which  accompanies  it,  is  endorsed  by  popular  vote,  and 
there  is  no  question  as  to  the  funds  being  sufficient,  is  the  excise 
board  prohibited  from  exercising  the  above  control.  Otherwise 
the  board  has  the  power,  if  it  desires  to  use  it,  to  dictate  educational 
policies  and  programs  by  determining  salaries,  kinds  and  quanti- 
ties of  supplies,  by  deciding  building,  building  site,  and  equipment 
acquisition,  or  repairs,  and  by  influencing  appointment  and  period 
of  service  of  personnel. 

In  so  far  as  the  separate  schools  are  concerned,  the  county 
excise  board  has  the  authority  at  any  time  during  a  school  year,  to 
revoke  and  cancel  a  school's  appropriation  either  in  whole  or  in 
part,  unless  the  same  has  been  obligated  by  contract,  if  the  board 
deems  such  action  in  the  interest  of  the  public.  Upon  this  basis  an 
excise  board  can  withdraw  money  from  the  schools,  which  has  been 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  89 

raised  specifically  for  school  purposes  by  taxation,  and  use  it  for 
building  roads,  maintaining  the  county  jail,  or  any  other  county  pur- 
pose, that  the  board  may  consider  of  greater  importance  than  operat- 
ing the  schools. 

During  the  school  year  of  1921-22  the  excise  board  of  Oklahoma 
County  withdrew  and  cancelled  forty  nine  hundred  dollars  in 
school  appropriations.  Whether  or  not  the  funds  withdrawn 
were  used  for  other  than  school  purposes  was  not  investigated. 
But  it  was  reported  that  the  excise  board  of  one  county  in  the 
State  levied  a  school  tax  with  no  intention  of  using  it  for  school 
purposes,  but  with  the  intention  of  building  a  bridge  with  it,  which 
they  did.  Whether  or  not  this  report  is  true,  the  possibility  for 
such  action  exists,  and  it  violates  a  fundamental  principle  of 
taxation  that  the  funds  raised  for  a  specific  purpose  are  not  avail- 
able for  other  purposes.  Obviously  any  oth,A,r  action  is  breaking 
faith  with  the  public. 

CONTROL  SHOULD  BE  VESTED  IN  BOARD  RESPONSIBLE 

FOR  RESULTS. 

Instead  of  the  schools  of  the  towns  and  rural  districts  includ- 
ing the  separate  schools,  being  under  the  control  of  the  county 
excise  board,  they  should  be  under  the  jurisdiction  of  a  county 
board  of  education.  This  board  of  education  should  be  composed 
of  members  elected  by  popular  vote.  Their  election  should  not 
be  held  when  other  public  officials  are  being  elected.  Within 
certain  mill  limitations,  the  action  of  such  a  board  of  education  as 
to  budgetary  appropriations,  and  the  tax  rate  necessary  there- 
for, should  be  mandatory  upon  the  county  excise  board,  assuming 
that  the  latter  board  continues  to  function  as  a  tax  levying  agency. 
Such  an  arrangement  would  make  for  public  discussion  of  specific 
school  problems  and  policies,  would  permit  definite  public  decision 
in  relation  to  those  matters,  and  would  establish  definite  responsi- 
bility for  the  execution  of  educational  policies  and  programs." 

The  above  arrangement  practically  exists  now  as  to  boards 
of  education  of  independent  school  districts  which  annually  vote 
an  excess  school  tax  levy,  except  that  the  members  of  those  boards 
are  elected  at  the  same  time  as  other  public  officials,  and  except 
that  the  methods  now  prescribed  in  the  school  law  for  present- 
ing information  to  the  public  can  be  simplified  and  much  im- 
proved. 


90  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

2.  Methods  of  presenting  information  regarding  school  finance 
tends  to  confuse  rather  than  to  inform  the.  public. 

The  criticism  that  is  to  be  made  of  the  scheme  of  presenting 
to  the  public  information  regarding  school  finance,  as  provided 
in  the  laws  of  Oklahoma,  is  that  it  tends  to  confuse  rather  than 
to  inform,  the  public.  This  is  a  criticism  to  be  made  generally  of 
the  customary  methods  of  presenting  budget  information,  else- 
where as  well  as  in  Oklahoma ;  and  it  is  because  the  common  method 
presents  a  confusion  of  the  following  ideas : 

(a)  The  public  is  asked  to  express  itself  as  to  how  much  it  is 
willing  to  spend  for  school  purposes  as  a  whole  during  the  year, 
i.  e.,  A  General  Fund  tax  levy  which  includes  current  expenses  for 
operation  and  upkeep   of  the  schools  and  a  minor  investment  in 
additions  to  buildings  and  equipment.       Occasionally,  the  public 
is  requested  to  express  itself  regarding  a  major  investment,  such 
as  additional  land,  new  and  larger  school  buildings,  and  the  equip- 
ment required  for  them.      This  expression  takes  the  form  of  either 
an  excess  tax  or  an  authorization  to  issue  bonds;  and  in  the  latter 
case  it  includes  the  authority  to  levy  annually  a  Sinking  Fund  tax 
for  interest  on  and  for  a  portion  of  the  principal,  the  latter  to 
be  accumulated  and  thus  pay  the  bonds  when  they  become  due. 

(b)  The  public  is  given  a  statement  of  the  amount  of  money 
the  schools  desire  to  spend  during  the  year  for  salaries,  supplies, 
repairs,  equipment,  etc,  etc. 

(c)  The  public  is  presented  with  a  statement  purporting  to 
be  the  financial  condition  of  the  schools  as  of  the  close  of  the  pre- 
vious fiscal  year. 

The  first  of  the  above  (a)  is  a  statement  of  -the  character  of 
expenditure  and,  in  the  form  it  is  presented,  it  fails  in  its  pur- 
pose because  it  is  too  general  a  statement  to  permit  of  intelligent 
discussion.  If  it  were  broken  down  into  the  amounts  to  be  expend- 
ed for  administration;  day  schools,  subdivided  into  graded  schools, 
high  schools,  general,  vocational,  and  physical  instruction;  night 
schools,  subdivided  likewise;  enforcement  of  compulsory  education 
laws ;  promotion  of  health  (medical  inspection)  ;  library  service ; 
transportation  of  pupils ;  and  other  educational  activities ;  operation 
of  buildings  and  grounds;  repairs  and  replacements,  additions  and 
betterments ;  it  would  present  to  the  public  a  program  for  real  dis- 
cussion, and  would  result  in  a  more  intelligent  public  interest  in 
support  of  the  schools. 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  91 

Without  such  specific  information  as  this,  the  public  must 
determine  its  support  of  the  public  schools  on  the  basis  of  indefinite 
information,  mis-information,  or  no  information  at  all.  A  con- 
structive suggestion  in  the  form  of  a  concrete  example,  covering 
the  above  idea,  is  presented  as  Exhibit  (1)  accompanying  this  re- 
port. 

OKLAHOMA    CITY    SCHOOLS. 

STATEMENT    OF   EXPENDITURES    BY   FUNCTION,    CHARACTER,    AND 
OBJECT  FOR  THE  FISCAL  YEAR  1921-22.  EXHIBIT  I. 

CONSUMABLE  EXPENSES 
Financing: 

Salaries     and     expenses     of 

treasurer's  office   $      631.74 

Fiscal  agency  fees  and  cost 

of   exchange    995.06 

Interest    180,900.91 

Fidelity  insurance  2,500.00 

Erection    expense    (vote    on 

excess   tax  levy)    3,986.29      $189,014.00     10.8     11.8 

GENERAL  CONTROL  SERVICE 
Legislative  Control  (Board): 

Legal    service    $  670.72 

Auditing    service    1,073.03       $1,747.75 

General  Direction  and  Control: 

Superintendent's   office   14,086.88 

Enforcement  of  compulsory 
education  laws  and  cen- 
sus enumeration  3,184.75  17,271.63 

Property  Supervision  and  Con- 
trol: 
Purchasing   and   accounting         8,869.98 

Storekeeping   3,500.63 

Building   supervision    5,319.14       17,689.75        $36,705.03       2.1       2.3 

INSTRUCTIONAL   SERVICE 

Supervision    $27,422.28 

Elementary    instruction     (Grade 
schools) : 

Salaries   of  principals   $69,642.09 

Salaries  of  teachers  738,387.10 

Instructional    supplies    23,966.17     831,995.36 

'Secondary      Instruction      (High 
schools) : 

Salaries   of   principals   27,852.80 

Salaries    of   teachers 246,12'9.04 

Instructional    supplies    7,988.73     281,970.57  $1,141,388.21     65.1     71.3 

OPERATION  OF  BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS 
Elementary  Schools: 

Salaries    of    engineers    and 

janitors    x 

Engineers  and  janitors  sup- 
plies    x 

Fuel    , x 

Light  and  power  x 

Water    : x 

Other   operating  expense x  110,255.77 


92  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

Secondary  Schools: 

Salaries    of    engineers    and 

janitors   x 

Engineers  and  janitors  sup- 
plies   x 

Fuel    x 

Light  and  power  x 

Water    x 

Other  operating   expenses....  x  $47,252.48     $  157,508.25       9.         9.8 

UPKEEP   OF  BUILDINGS,    GROUNDS  AND  EQUIPMENT 
Elementary  schools   (Grade 
schools) : 

Repairs   to   grounds    x 

Repairs  to  buildings   x 

Repairs  to  equipment  x 

Insurance   x 

Other  upkeep   expenses    x  $36,420.58 

Secondary  schools  (high 
schools): 

Repairs  to  grounds   x 

Repairs  to   buildings   x 

Repairs  to  equipment x 

Insurance   x 

Other  upkeep  expenses x  $15,609.00        $52,029.58       3.         3.3 

Miscellaneous  Service: 

Library    service    $10,924.52 

Health   service    8,850.85 

Playground  activities  960.03 

Lectures  commencement  ex- 
ercises and  other  edu- 
cational activities  2,794.26  23,529.66  1.3  1.5 

Total  Consumable  Expense  $1,600,174.73     91.3  100. 

INVESTMENT 
Outlays: 

Land    and    improvement    to 

land    $21,171.43 

Buildings     21,499.84 

Equipment    40,127.58     $82,798.85  5.       54.5 

Deduction  of  Debt: 

Bonds    reduced    and    retired  $69,000.00  3.7     45.5 

Total  investment  $151,798.85       8.7  100. 

Grand    Total   $1,751,973.58  100. 

x    Items  thus  designated  could  not  be  segregated  within   the  time  available 
for  the  analysis. 

The  second  of  the  above  (b)  is  a  statement  of  the  objects  of 
expenditure,  that  is  to  say,  the  elements  which  are  to  be  used  in 
carrying  out  the  proposed  program.  It  is  entirely  subsidiary 
to  the  first  statement,  and  conveys  very  little  information  to  the 
public  in  the  form  in  which  it  is  generally  presented.  To  be  of 
any  value  to  the  public,  this  statement  should  be  accompanied  by 
an  explanation  of  the  value  of  these  elements  expressed  in  educa- 
tional and  economic  results.  For  example,  to  be  told  that  one 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  93 

kind  of  gasoline  costs  20  cents  per  gallon  and  another  25  cents, 
without  any  statement  as  to  the  approximate  mileage  which  each 
will  produce,  gives  the  buyer  no  basis  to  decide  which  will  be 
the  more  advantageous  for  him  to  purchase. 

The  third  of  the  above  (c),  is  a  statement  of  the  financial 
condition  of  the  schools  as  of  a  certain  date :  in  other  words,  a 
balance  sheet.  In  the  form  commonly  presented,  it  is  too  technical 
for  anyone  but  an  expert  accountant  to  understand.  It  is  of  value 
to  the  general  public  only  when  presented  in  simple  form  show- 
ing whether  the  assets  of  the  schools  at  the  end  of  a  school  year  (or 
at  any  other  date)  are  equal  to,  in  excess  of,  or  less  than  the  liabili- 
ties. A  constructive  suggestion,  in  the  form  of  a  concrete  example, 
covering  this  idea  is  presented  as  Exhibit  (II)  accompanying  this 
report. 


94 


PUBLIC    EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 


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NOTES:  — 
*Appraisal  value  as  no  df 
fWhatever  amount  is  lefl 
x  Items  not  obtainable  w 

FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  95 

3.  .  Methods  prescribed  for  estimating  revenues  extraordinarily 
conservative. 

The  method  prescribed  in  the  school  law  for  estimating  reven- 
ues, which  requires  ten  per  cent  to  be  added  to  the  total  estimate 
because  of  possible  delinquent  taxes,  prior  to  deducting  either 
a  surplus  on  hand  or  revenues  anticipated  from  other  sources, 
is  not  only  extraordinarily  conservative,  but  undoubtedly  beyond 
the  intent  of  the  legislature  when  enacting  the  law.  It  is  reason- 
able to  assume  that  the  intent  of  the  legislature  was  only  to  safe- 
guard the  schools  from  loss  by  reason  of  delinquent  taxes ;  and  that 
the  requirement  to  deduct  ten  per  cent  from  an  existing  surplus  and 
ten  per  cent  also  from  anticipated  revenues  wlrich  elsewhere  in  the 
law  are  held  to  amounts  not  in  excess  of  what  have  been  received 
in  the  preceding  year,  is  due  to  an  error  in  phraseology.  Never- 
theless, the  language  is  clear  and  the  State  Examiner  and  Inspector 
is  undoubtedly  correct  in  his  ruling  that  the  procedure  shall  be 
according  to  the  letter  of  the  law  until  the  court  rules  otherwise 
or  the  legislature  modifies  the  law. 

As  a  matter  of  fact  the  provision  of  the  per  cent  deduction 
alone  appears  extremely  conservative.  An  examination  of  the 
delinquent  tax  for  the  last  five  years  pertaining  to  the  Oklahoma 
City  schools  shows  it  in  no  year  to  have  gone  beyond  4.2  per  cent, 
and  one  year  as  low  as  2.9  per  cent.  An  estimate  of  the  Okla- 
homa County  delinquent  tax  was  given  as  averaging  about  5 
per  cent.  Furthermore,  the  effect  of  estimating  on  this  basis  and 
prohibiting  appropriations  in  excess  thereof  reduces  the  tax  levy 
of  15  mills  for  school  purposes  authorized  by  the  State  Constitution 
to  13%  mills. 

It  is  possible  that  a  deduction  of  five  per  cent  from  the  tax 
levied,  because  of  possible  delinquent  taxes,  might  be  quite  suf- 
ficient. Figuring  the  General  Fund  requirements  of  the  Oklahoma 
City  Schools  for  1922-23  on  this  latter  basis,  not  deducting  ten  per 
cent  from  the  estimated  revenues,  and  including  advance  expenses 
(such  as  prepaid  insurance  and  supplies  in  stockroom)  as  assets, 
leaves  a  surplus  of  $193,500  (11.8  per  cent  of  the  1922  General 
Fund  tax  levy)  available  for  additional  appropriation.  True,  if 
not  appropriated  this  fiscal  year  it  will  be  available  for  1923-24; 
but  in  that  event  why  levy  this  amount  of  tax  a  year  ahead?  If 
it  is  to  be  used  next  year,  why  not  delay  the  levy  until  next  year? 


96  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

It  is  possible  that  a  corresponding  deduction  of  only  five  per 
cent  for  delinquent  taxes  might  not  appear  as  favorably  in  other 
school  districts;  but  the  extraordinarily  conservative  procedure 
for  estimating  school  revenues,  which  is  now  prescribed  by  the 
school  law,  should  be  modified. 

4.    Duplication  of  appropriation  accounts. 

The  appropriation  accounts  of  the  city  and  town  independent 
school  districts  are  maintained  in  detail  by  the  clerks  of  their 
boards  of  education.  The  county  clerks  of  the  counties  in  which 
these  schools  are  located  maintain  these  same  appropriation  ac- 
counts, but  in  condensed  form.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
treasurers  of  these  schools  also  maintain  records  of  expenditures 
of  these  schools  by  funds,  and  the  county  excise  boards  could  call 
for  statements  from  both  clerks  of  boards  of  education  and  school 
treasurers  and  thus  obtain  the  information  which  they  maintain 
their  own  records  to  obtain,  the  maintenance  of  these  records  by 
them  seems  an  unnecessary  duplication. 

If  the  non-independent  district  schools  and  the  separate  schools 
of  each  county  were  under  a  county  board  of  education,  as  above 
recommended,  then  the  appropriation  accounts  of  those  schools 
would  be  maintained  by  the  clerks  of  those  boards  instead  of  by 
the  county  clerks  as  at  present.  In  such  an  event  the  maintaining 
of  these  accounts  by  the  county  clerks  also  would  not  be  necessary. 

B.     ACCOUNTING  METHODS. 

1.    Practice  of  reporting  revenues  and  expenditures  under  only 
the  heads  of  General  and  Sinking  Fund  erroneous. 

The  practice  of  only  reporting  school  revenues  and 
expenditures  under  the  heads  of  General  Fund  and  Sinking 
Fund  is  erroneous  because  of  the  fact  that  the  public  is 
also  taxed  specifically  for  land,  building,  and  equipment 
acquisition  as  well  as  for  their  repair  and  replacement. 
The  public  may  also  be  taxed  specifically,  under  certain 
conditions,  for  playground  purposes. 

As  previously  stated,  it  is  a  fundamental  principal 
of  taxation  that  funds  raised  for  specific  purposes  should 
be  expended  only  for  those  purposes.  Accordingly,  under 
the  school  law  as  it  now  stands,  the  revenues  and  expendi- 
tures of  the  schools  should  be  reported  under  the  following 
heads : 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  97 

(a)  General     Fund,     covering  receipts  and  expenditures 
for   school    administration    and    operation,    including 
maintenance  of  buildings  and  grounds. 

(b)  Sinking  Fund,   covering  revenues   and   expenditures 
for  interest  on  and  the  retirement  of  school  bonds 
issued  and  outstanding. 

(e)  Building  Fund,  covering  revenues  and  expenditures 
for  land,  building  and  equipment  acquisition,  repair 
and  replacement. 

(d)  Playground  Fund,  covering  revenues  and  expenditures 
for  playground  activities. 

The  common  practice  in  regard  to  receipts  and  ex- 
penditures pertaining  to  playgrounds  is  to  treat  them  as 
items  under  and  belonging  to  the  General  Fund. 

The  common  practice  in  regard  to  revenues  and  ex- 
penditures pertaining  to  land,  (building  and  equipment 
acquisition,  repairs  and  replacements,  when  those  funds 
have  been  raised  by  taxation,  is  to  treat  them  as  items 
belonging  to  the  General  Fund.  When  the  funds  are  raised 
by  the  issue  of  bonds,  the  receipts  and  expenditures  are 
treated  as  items  belonging  to  the  Sinking  Fund. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  that  each  of  the  funds 
shows  two  kinds  of  expenditures ;  i.  e.,  expense,  and  in- 
vestment. It  would  be  better  accounting  practice,  and 
more  enlightening  to  the  public,  as  well  as  to  the  school 
world,  itself,  if : 

(1)  General   Fund   revenues   were    applicable    when    ex- 
pended only  to   current   expense,   and  covered  items 
which   either   left  no  tangible   evidence   such   as   gas 
consumed  or,  if  physically  evident  (such  as  repairs  and 
replacements),  represented  no  additional  property  in- 
vestment. 

(2)  Building  Fund  revenues   (whether  the  result  of  tax- 
ation or  bond  issue)   when  expended  were  applicable 
only  to,   and   when  made   represented   acquisition   or 
betterment  of  land,  buildings,  and  equipment. 

(3)  Sinking  Fund  revenues  when  expended  were  appli- 
cable only  to  bond  principal  and  interest. 

This    is  assuming  that,  instead  of  incorporating  into  law 
an  amount  which  can  be  levied  specifically  for  such  activi- 

S.  S.  4 


98  PUBLIC   EDUCATION    IN    OKLAHOMA 

ties  as  playgrounds,  the  activity  be  either  authorized  or 
required.  An  example  of  this  idea  is  seen  in  the  provision 
applicable  to  school  libraries  now  incorporated  in  the 
school  law. 

2.    Appropriation  accounts  reflect  objects  of  expenditure  with 
little  regard  to  purpose  or  character. 

The  appropriation  accounts,  as  prescribed  in  the  school 
law,  reflect  objects  of  expenditure,  i.  e.,  elements  to  be 
used;  and  in  the  form  presented,  they  may  be  likened  to 
a  stockroom  requisition.  They  give  the  public  a  very  limi- 
ted idea  as  to  purchasing  costs ;  and  in  regard  to  the  purpose 
or  character  for  which  they  are  to  be  used,  they  give 
little  information.  The  following,  for  example,  are  appro- 
priation accounntsi  which  are  used  in  certain  of  the  school 
districts. 

(a)  Salaries  of  teachers,  and  (b)  light,  fuel,  and  other 
supplies,  which  are  elements  of  current  expense  be- 
longing to  operation. 

(c)  Maintenance  of  buildings  and  grounds,  including  jani- 
tor service,  which  are   a  mixture   of  operation   and 
upkeep. 

(d)  Furniture  and  fixtures,  which  may  be  replacements 
or  acquisitions. 

(e)  Improvements,  repairs,  and  purchase  of  building  sites, 
which  are  a  mixture  of  upkeep  and  investment. 

(f)  Library  and  school  apparatus,  which  are  a  mixture 
of  purpose,  replacement  and  acquisition. 

(g)  Interest  and  payment  of  bonds,  which   are   a   mix- 
ture of  fixed  charges   (current  expense)    and  invest- 
ment (increase  in  ownership  resulting  from  decrease 
in  debt.) 

(h)  Payment  of  judgments,  which  may  represent  delayed 
payment  for  current  expense,  or  property  acquisition. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  such  accounts  as  the  above  are 
but  detail  information  supporting  purpose  and  character 
of  expenditure,  if  they  are  to  be  used  as  mediums  for  ap- 
propriation, they  should  at  least  be  segregated  according 
to  purpose  and  character. 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  99 

3.  Appropriation  accounts  not  followed  explicitly  when  incur- 
ring expenditures  or  obligations. 

The  appropriation  accounts  as  approved  by  the  county 
excise  boards  do  not  appear  to  be  followed  explicity  by 
the  schools  when  incurring  expenditures  or  obligations. 
This  is  apparently  due  to  the  impression  which  prevails 
that,  as  long  as  the  sum  total  of  all  the  appropriations  is 
not  exceeded,  the  expenditures  or  obligations  in  excess  of  or 
below  the  amount  of  any  individual  appropriation  do  not 
matter.  It  may  be  also  due  to  the  impression  which  pre- 
vails in  some  localities  that  when  once  an  excise  board  has 
determined  appropriations  for  a  school  year  the  board 
'either  has  not  the  authority  or  is  unwilling  to  meet  subse- 
quently and  revise  or  increase  school  appropriations.  This 
idea  is  due  either  to  a  misunderstanding  or  to  a  lack  of 
knowledge  of  the  school  law. 

4.  Financial  statements  issued  in  form  of  balance  sheets  with- 
out being  accompanied  by  operation  statements. 

The  financial  statements  of  the  schools,  prepared  in  the 
form  prescribed  in  detail  by  the  school  law,  are  balance 
sheets,  to  use  accounting  phraseology.  They  should  also  be 
accompanied  by  operation  statements. 

A  balance  sheet  is  a  statement  showing  financial  con- 
dition as  of  a  certain  date.  An  operation  statement  shows 
financial  progress  between  two  periods  of  time.  The  first 
is  in  the  nature  of  an  instantaneous  photograph;  the  sec- 
ond, a  moving  picture.  Information  as  to  the  financial 
condition  of  a  school  district  at  the  beginning  of  a  fiscal 
year  is,  of  course,  essential  as  a  starting  point  in  planning 
the  school's  financial  program  for  the  year.  But,  in  order 
to  plan  for  the  future,  it  is  of  the  greatest  assistance  to 
know  what  has  been  done  in  the  past;  and  an  operation 
statement  gives  this  information. 

In  regard  to  the  balance  sheets  themselves,  most  of  the 
school  balance  sheets  examined  were  deficient  in  inform- 
ation as  to  whether  the  surplus  shown  was  available  for 
further  appropriation,  or  whether  it  represented  but  a  state- 


100  PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

ment  of  the  difference  between  the  cash  received  and  the 
obligations  recorded  to  date.  Accounts  receivable  and  un- 
vouchered  obligations  were  conspicious  by  their  absence. 
As  constructive  suggestions,  balance  sheets  of  the  General 
Fund,  Sinking  Fund,  Playground  Fund,  and  Separate  Fund 
of  the  Oklahoma  City  schools  as  of  July  1st,  1922,  giving 
this  information,  are  presented  as  Exhibits  (III),  (IV),  (V), 
and  (VI),  accompanying  this  report. 


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106  PUBLIC   EDUCATION   IN   OKLAHOMA 

In  preparing  these  balance  sheets  but  5  per  cent  has 
been  allowed  for  delinquent  taxes,  and  certain  advance  ex- 
penditures such  as  prepaid  insurance  and  stockroom  as- 
sets have  been  included.  On  this  basis  the  General  Fund 
shows  $193,499.84,  the  Playground  Fund  shows  $703.28,  and 
the  Separate  Fund  shows  $12,344.13  available  for  additional 
appropriations.  In  terms  of  percentage  these  amounts  are 
10.6  per  cent,  and  5.5  per  cent,  and  9.2  per  cent,  respectively, 
of  the  existing  appropriations. 

The  balance  sheet  of  the  Sinking  Fund  shows  an  excess 
of  assets  over  liabilities,  both  applicable  to  the  current  year, 
of  $84,154.27.  If,  in  addition,  the  Sinking  Fund  cash  and 
the  Sinking  Funds  invested  in  school  warrants  (without  in- 
terest) were  invested  and  bearing  5  per  cent  interest,  the 
Sinking  Fund  surplus  for  1922-23  would  approximate 
$111,000,  which  amount  is  66  per  cent  of  the  Sinking  Fund 
tax  levied  for  1923. 

In  regard  to  operation  statements,  a  constructive  sug- 
gestion in  the  form  of  an  operation  statement  of  the  Okla- 
homa County  non-independent  school  districts  combined 
(rural  district,  village  district,  consolidated  and  separate 
schools,  the  latter  excluding  the  separate  schools  in  Okla- 
homa City  school  district,  as  of  July  1st,  1922,  is  present- 
ed as  Exhibit  (VII)  accompanying  this  report.)  (See  page 
107.)  This  statement  allows  10  per  cent  for  delinquent 
taxes,  and  it  shows  a  total  of  $90,543.08  available  for  ad- 
ditional appropriations. 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING   PROCEDURE 


107 


EXHIBIT  VII. 

1  NEGRO  BLOOD,  INCLUDING 
'ARATE  SCHOOLS. 

ACCOUNTS  RECEIVABLE 

otal  General  Building  Sinking 

fund  fund  fund 

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FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE  109 

5.    Financial  statements  showing  functional  expenditures,  can 
be  developed  to  further  advantage. 

The  value  of  any  financial  system  showing  school  ex- 
penditures by  function  is  in  proportion  to  the  clearness  in 
which  it  is  presented.  Its  value  is  increased  when  present- 
ed in  a  form  comparable  with  that  used  by  other  schools. 
Many  of  the  city  school  systems  are  presenting  such  state- 
ments. These  statements,  however,  can  be  further  develop- 
ed to  advantage.  A  constructive  suggestion  along  this 
line,  in  the  form  of  a  comparative  statement  of  the  function- 
al expenditures  of  the  Oklahoma  and  Okmulgee  city  schools, 
and  the  Oklahoma  County  district  schools,  is  presented  as 
Exhibit  (VIII)  accompanying  this  report.  (See  page  110.) 

This  statement  shows  in  the  fiscal  year  of  1921-22,  that 
91.3  per  cent  of  the  expenditures  of  the  Oklahoma  City 
schools  was  consumable  expense,  and  8.7  per  cent  was 
investment ;  that  75.7  per  cent  of  the  Okmulgee  City  schools 
was  consumable  expense,  and  24.3  per  cent  was  investment ; 
and  that  86.4  per  cent  of  the  Oklahoma  County  schools  was 
consumable  expense,  and  13.6  per  cent  was  investment.  Of 
the  total  for  consumable  expense,  Oklahoma  City  schools 
used  71.3  per  cent  for  instructional  service,  Okmulgee  68.7 
per  cent,  and  Oklahoma  County  67.1  per  cent. 

Other  similar  comparisons  are  made;  one  being  that 
Okmulgee  spends  for  instructional  supervision,  includ- 
ing educational  tests  and  measurements,  proportionately 
twice  as  much  as  OSahoma  City  does. 

It  would  bo  interesting  to  know  if  this  additional  ex- 
pense for  tests  and  measurements  is  responsible  in  any 
Tray  for  the  reduced  per  cent  of  the  total  expenditure  for 
instructional  service.  Whenever  statements  of  functional 
expenditures  of  different  schools  are  compared  in  this 
manner  they  are  found  to  be  prolific  in  information  which 
can  be  used  advantageously  in  determining  educational 
policies  and  programs. 


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FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING   PROCEDURE 


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112  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

6.    School  District  annual  statistical  reports  to  State  Superin- 
tendent of  Education,  subject  to  improvement. 

The  annual  statistical  report  made  by  school  districts 
to  the  State  Superintendent  of  Education,  in  so  far  at 
least  as  financial  statistics  are  concerned,  can  be  materially 
improved.  In  the  form  now  prepared,  the  cost  of  items 
pertaining  to  a  previous  fiscal  year  may  overlap  those  of  the 
current  year  without  discovery;  and  the  cash  summary 
of  receipts  and  expenditures  consists  of  all  funds  combined 
in  one.  This  form  can  with  advantage  be  redesigned  so 
as  to  segregate  expenditures  by  character;  it  should  also  be 
coordinated  with  the  form  covering  the  finances  of  school 
districts,  prescribed  by  the  State  Examiner  and  Inspector, 
which  treasurers  of  school  districts,  including  county  treas- 
urers, prepare  and  submit  to  county  excise  boards. 

C.     FINANCING  METHODS. 

1.    Bond  issues  permissable  on  too  liberal  a  basis. 

The  school  law  of  Oklahoma  permits  the  issue  of  bonds 
by  any  school  district  for  not  only  acquisition  of  property 
such  as  land,  buildings  and  equipment  but  also  for  repairs 
to  such  property,  when  approved  by  three-fifths  of  the  citi- 
zens voting  at  an  election  held  thereon,  and  provided  that 
the  amount  of  the  bonds  together  with  existing  indebted- 
ness of  the  schools  does  not  exceed  five  per  cent  of  the  tax- 
able property  of  the  district. 

School  districts  with  the  permission  of  the  court  are 
also  authorized  to  issue  bonds  for  the  purpose  of  refund- 
ing indebtedness,  including  bonds,  judgments,  and  war- 
rants. 

This  is  too  liberal  a  basis  on  which  to  issue  bonds  to 
be  sound  finance.  Repairs  are  current  expense,  and  should 
never  be  funded  out  of  other  than  current  revenues.  Judg- 
ments and  warrants  may  represent  expenses  of  current  or 
previous  years,  or  they  may  represent  property  acquisition ; 
if  the  former,  this  policy  means  permission  to  postpone,  up 
to  twenty-five  years,  the  payment  of  salaries,  supplies,  and 
other  consumable  expense,  should  a  school  district  so  de- 
sire. 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING   PROCEDURE  113 

However,  it  appears  that  the  Supreme'  Court  of  Okla- 
homa has  held  as  unconstitutional  the  provision  in  the  school 
law  permitting,  by  means  of  bond  issue,  the  liquidating  of 
warrants  issued  for  current  expenses  in  excess  of  current 
"  revenues  or  for  liquidating  other  indebtedness  even  though 
it  may  be  for  services  and  material  from  which  the  munici- 
pal corporation  has  received  a  benefit.  But  for  this  de- 
cision of  the  Court,  the  other  provisions  in  the  law  with 
regard  to  holding  expenditures  within  appropriations  wouU 
be  nullified  by  this  refunding  provision. 

2.    Authority  to  use  sinking  funds  to  pay  judgments,  unsound 
finance. 

The  authority  to  use  sinking  funds  to  pay  judgments  is 
unsound  finance  for  the  same  reason  that  the  issue  of  bonds 
to  pay  judgments  is  questioned. 

If  the  judgment  covers  consumable  expense  it  should 
be  liquidated  by  tax  levy  for  the  reason  that  the  expense 
which  the  judgment  represents  is  unlawful  unless  it  has  been 
incurred  in  accordance  with  an  appropriation;  and  should 
the  revenues  not  be  forthcoming,  upon  which  the  appro- 
priation has  been  predicated,  the  unintentional  overdraft 
should  be  made  good  out  of  the  ensuing  year's  revenues.  It 
is  not  the  kind  of  a  debt  that  one  generation  should  ask 
another  generation  to  share  through  having  its  payment 
run  over  a  period  of  years. 

If  the  judgment  covers  property  acquisition  in  excess 
of  debt  limitation  within  which  a  bond  issue,  if  approved 
by  popular  vote,  would  be  legal,  then  the  judgment  should 
be  liquidated  by  tax  levy.  This  is  assuming  that  the  prop- 
erty acquisition  has  been  authorized  by  appropriation.  Any 
other  policy  opens  the  door  to  subterfuge.  This  is  obvious 
in  districts  where  school  buildings  have  been  built  at  a 
cost  in  excess  of  bond  issues  permissible  within  constitu- 
tional debt  limitation  on  the  chance  that  once  the  building 
was  erected  equity  would  permit  the  excess  cost  to  be  paid 
by  judgment.  If  the  law  is  too  restrictive  to  meet  the  needs 
of  the  schools  the  step  to  take  is  to  an^end  the  law,  not  to 
put  one's  foot  through  it.  If  constitutional  provision  stands 
in  the  way  of  thus  amending  the  statutes  steps  should  be 
taken  to  amend  the  constitutional  provision. 


114  PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

3.    Policy  in  regard  to  investing  Sinking  Funds,  questionable. 

In  addition  to  investing  sinking  funds  in  United  States 
and  Oklahoma  state  bonds,  the  statutes  authorize  their  in- 
vestment in  the  bonds  and  warrants  of  any  municipality  in 
the  State,  including  school  districts.  Acting  upon  this 
authorization  independent  school  districts  are  investing 
their  sinking  funds  in  their  own  warrants.  This  is  ques- 
tionable practice  for  the  following  reasons : 

(a)  If  the  Sinking  Fund  is  invested  in  the  debtor's 
own  bonds  or  obligations,  its  existence  is  not  of  the  least 
advantage  to  the  creditor.    It  gives  him  no  additional  se- 
curity,— legal,  equitable,  or  honorary.    It  is  a  worthless  de- 
vice so  far  as  he  is  concerned.    (The  Sinking  Fund — Brown) 

(b)  The  earning  power  of  the  sinking  fund  is  apt  to 
be  reduced  by  reason  of  holding  it  idle  or  earning  but  de- 
positary interest  awaiting  its  investment  in  sinking  funds; 
and  its  earnings  are  nil  when  no  interest  is  paid  on  the 
warrants. 

The  latter  condition  exists  in  regard  to  the  sinking 
funds  of  the  Oklahoma  City  school  district.  Based  on  the 
idea  that  it  is  an  economic  waste  to  pay  interest  to  itself, 
this  school  district  has  adopted  the  policy  of  paying  no  in- 
terest on  its  warrants  when  purchased  by  its  sinking  funds. 
The  result  of  this  policy  is  that  on  July  1st,  1922,  this  school 
district  had  $205,373.83  sinking  fund  cash  on  deposit  earn- 
ing but  depositary  interest,  and  $527,104.76  of  sinking  funds 
invested  in  school  warrants  of  its  own  and  of  the  separate 
schools  under  its  jurisdiction,  earning  no  interest.  These 
two  added  together  make  a  total  of  $732,478.59. 

Assuming  that  $700,000  of  this  amount  might  be  in- 
vested at  5  per  cent  (based  on  the  present  value  of  money) 
in  good  securities,  the  sinking  funds  are  losing,  on  an  annual 
basis,  $35,000  less  the  depositary  interest  (say  $8,000)  re- 
ceived, or  $27,000  net.  As  an  offset  to  this  net  amount  what 
has  the  school  district  saved  in  interest  which  it  would  other- 
wise be  paying  on  its  warrants  ?  Figuring  6  per  cent  annual 
interest  on  outstanding  unpaid  warrants  at  the  end  of  each 
month  from  July  30th,  1921,  to  June  30th,  1922,  and  adding 
these  twelve  amounts  together,  the  interest  on  the  warrants 
would  have  cost  the  school  district,  $25,960.56.  This  is  assum- 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING   PROCEDURE  115 

ing  that  a  bank,  to  obtain  the  school  account,  might  be  will- 
ing to  loan  money  on  its  warrants  at  six  per  cent ;  and  par- 
ticularly so,  if  the  school  law  was  amended  to  permit  a  school 
district  issuing  short  time  notes  in  anticipation  of  tax  levies. 
If  such  an  amendment  could  be  obtained  the  work  incident 
to  figuring,  entering,  and  posting  the  interest  applicable  to 
each  warrant,  which  takes  much  time  and  costs  much  money, 
wherever  interest  is  paid  on  warrants,  would  be  eliminated. 
On  the  other  hand,  where  a  school  district  actually  saves 
money  by  this  policy,  the  saving  is  not  commensurate  with 
the  other  evils  which  it  engenders. 

4.    The  issue   of   Sinking   Fund  bonds    a   costly  method   of 
financing. 

The  theory  upon  which  the  issue  of  sinking  fund  bonds 
is  based  is :  first,  that  by  levying  a  tax  annually  for  a  por- 
tion of  the  total  of  the  bonds,  instead  of  waiting  and  levying 
a  tax  for  the  full  amount  when  the  bonds  are  due  is  less 
burdensome  upon  the  taxpayer ;  and  second,  that  by  invest- 
ing each  year  that  portion  of  the  principal  which  has  been 
levied,  the  sum  of  the  amounts  levied,  together  with  the  in- 
terest they  earn,  will  pay  the  bonds  at  their  maturity  and 
thus  effect  their  payment  at  a  less  cost  to  the  taxpayer  than 
would  otherwise  be  the  case. 

This  theory  has  proven  a  fallacy  in  many  instances, 
with  the  result  that  many  municipalities  have  discontinued 
the  issue  of  sinking  fund  bonds  and  now  issue  only  serial 
bonds.  Chamberlain  in  his  ' ' Principles  of  Bond  Investment ' ' 
(1911)  presents  the  following  argument: 

"Sinking  funds  do  not  amortize  a  debt;  they  merely 
convert  it  or  offset  it.  The  only  way  to  sink  a  debt  is  to  pay 
it.  The  simple,  rational,  and  economic  way  to  pay  a  debt 
is  to  pay  it  in  approximately  equal  periodic  installments. 
This  is  the  serial  bond  method. ' ' 

' '  Sinking  funds  are  not  only  liable  to  misappropriation, 
unwise  investment,  suspension,  and  the  like,  but  they  are 
costly.  Their  average  earnings  are  little,  if  any,  over  3  per 
cent.  Serial  bonds  require  a  minimum  of  expense  and  pro- 
duce a  maximum  of  security.  When  a  bond  issue  is  serial 
the  investment  grows  safer  as  it  grows  older." 


116  PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

Chandler  in  "The  Metropolitan  Debts  of  Boston  and  Vicinity. 
Sinking  Fund  and  Serial  Bond  Methods  Compared"  presents  figures 
showing  that  on  $1,000,000  at  4  per  cent  for  twenty  years  the  inter- 
est charges  by  the  serial  bond  method  is  $114,426  less  than  the  net 
interest  charges  by  the  sinking  fund  method. 

In  addition,  it  is  in  order  at  this  point  to  call  attention  to  the 
item  "Commission  to  Fiscal  Agency"  which  appears  in  the  Okla- 
homa school  accounts  as  a  charge  against  the  Sinking  Fund.  If  this 
charge  covers  fees  incident  to  the  sale  of  bonds,  and  the  net  amount 
derived  therefrom  after  this  charge  has  been  deducted  is  less  than 
the  par  value  of  the  bonds  plus  accrued  interest,  this  charge  against 
the  Sinking  Fund  is  subterfuge  and  circumvents  the  provision  of  the 
school  law  which  prohibits  the  sale  of  bonds  on  such  a  basis.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  the  charge  is  a  fee  for  serving  as  the  fiscal  depos- 
itory, payment  should  be  made  from  the  General  Fund  instead  of 
from  the  Sinking  Fund  as  it  is  a  current  expense  item. 

CONCLUSION 

In  conclusion,  the  major  criticism  of  the  public  schools  of  Okla- 
homa, from  the  financial  point  of  view,  is  that  they  are  not  under 
the  financial  jurisdiction  and  control  of  those  who  are  responsible 
for  educational  results.  This  control  should  be  vested  in  the  boards 
of  education;  and  until  it  is  so  vested,  they  cannot  be  held  respon- 
sible for  educational  policies  and  programs. 

The  minor  criticism  is  that  the  methods  of  financial  and  ac- 
counting procedure  in  the  various  educational  institutions,  elemen- 
tary, secondary,  and  higher  negative,  are  deficient  in  producing 
digested  financial  information  necessary  for  administrative  and 
financial  review;  and  the  methods  lack  co-ordination.  In  fact,  a 
general  reorganization  of  school  financial  procedure  is  necessary  if 
the  schools  are  to  function  as  an  independent,  constructive,  educa- 
tional force. 

In  order  to  bring  the  above  about,  the  various  school  laws  and 
other  laws  relating  thereto,  now  providing  in  detail  the  manner  of 
preparing  financial  statements  and  estimates  of  revenues  and  ex- 
penditures pertaining  to  the  schools,  should  be  amended  so  as 
to  eliminate  that  detail  and  instead  provide  a  general  grant  of  power. 

When  school  budgets  are  approved  by  the  boards  of  education 
having  jurisdiction  any  school  levy  incident  thereto,  provided  it  is 
within  limitations  provided  in  the  statutes  and  State  Constitution, 
should  be  mandatory  upon  the  tax  levying  bodies. 


FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING   PROCEDURE  117 

The  following  amendments  to  the  school  law  are  suggested. 

(1)  County  boards  of  education  should  be  created,  and  vested 
with  authority  to  review  and  approve  budgets  of  all  non-independent 
schools  within  their  jurisdiction,  provided  that  all  tax  levies  incident 
to  those  budgets  should  be  within  mill  limitations  as  to  taxation  for 
school  purposes  which  now  exist  in  the  statutes  and  State  Constitu- 
tion, or  which  m,ay  be  hereafter  amended. 

(2)  Board  of  education  for  independent  school  districts  should 
bei  vested  with  the  same  authority  as  above  set  forth  for  the  pro- 
posed county  boards  of  education. 

(3)  The  State  board  of  education  should  have  authority  to 
review  and  approve  budgets  of  subsidiary  educational  boards,  which 
cover  different  groups  of  educational  activities;  the  approval  of 
these  budgets  should  be  subject  to  such  financial  limitations  as  the 
Legislature  may  prescribe. 

(4)  All  county  and  school  district  tax  levies  for  school  pur- 
poses should  be  made  in  accordance  with  the  following  subdivisions : 

(a)  General  Fund,  Covering  current  expenses,  including  play- 
ground activities  now  a  separate  levy,  and  including  all 
repairs  and  replacements  of  land,  buildings  and  equip- 
ment; with  the  exception  of  interest  on  bonds. 

(b)  Building  Fund,   Covering  all  expenditures  for  additional 
land,  buildings,  and  equipment,  or  for  additions  to  exist- 
ing land,  buildings,  and  equipment. 

(c)  Sinking  Fund,    Covering  expenditures  for  bond  interest 
and  principal. 

(5)  The  State  Board  of  Education  should  be  vested  with  auth- 
ority to  prescribe  all  details  as  to  school  budget  procedure,  including 
the  preparation  of  financial  statements  and  estimates  of  revenues 
and  expenditures;  provided  that   the   details   of  such   accounting 
forms  as  may  be  required  to  secure  financial  data  from  other  sources 
than  school  officials,  which  may  be  required  in  the  consideration  of 
school  policies,   shall  be  prescribed  by  the   State   Examiner  and 
Inspector. 

(6)  Whenever  the  budget  of  a  school  district  has  been  ap- 
proved by  the  board  of  education  having  jurisdiction,  all  tax  levies 
incident  thereto  should  be  mandatory  upon  the  tax  levying  agency 
of  the  district. 


118  PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

(7)  The  State  Board  of  Education  should  be  vested  with  auth- 
ority to  prescribe  the  methods  of  recording  all  school  data,  both 
statistical  and  financial  which  shall  be  maintained  in  the  different 
school  systems  of  the  State,  and  to  require  such  periodical  reports 
from  the  schools  as  it  may  deem  necessary. 


CHAPTER  V. 
ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION. 

Problems  of  organization  and  administration  of  rural  schools, 
and  of  village  and  city  schools,  are  discussed  in  the  two  Chapters 
dealing  with  these  schools.  In  this  Chapter  will  be  found  a  brief 
discussion  of  the  provisions  needed  in  order  that  State  leadership 
and  direction  in  public  education  may  be  made  more  effective. 

There  are  two  major  considerations  affecting  educational  con- 
ditions in  Oklahoma: 

(1)  Inadequate  and  unsystematic  financial  support,  the  rem- 
edies for  which  are  discussed  in  Chapter  III ;  and  (2)  certain  limita- 
tions on  the  functioning  of  vital  and  effective  leadership,  the  remedy 
for  which  is  an  enlarged  and  strengthened  State  Department  of 
Education. 

Let  us  consider,  first,  what  are  the  functions  which  should  be 
discharged  by  the  agency  which  is  responsible  for  State  leadership 
in  education,  and  what  are  the  essential  features  of  the  administra- 
tive machinery  which  will  make  this  leadership  effective. 

ADMINISTRATIVE  FEATURES  OF  A  STATE  SYSTEM  OF 
PUBLIC  EDUCATION. 

The  history  of  education  in  the  United  States  shows  very  clearly 
the  acceptance  of  the  theory  of  responsibility  of  the  several  States 
for  public  education  within  their  borders  and  the  development  of 
the  State  as  the  administrative  unit  in  education.  The  plans  which 
have  been  adopted  in  the  States  are  not  uniform,  however,  nor  is 
there  the  same  degree  of  centralization. 

The  various  State  systems  of  education  have  been  modified 
from  time  to  time  in  the  light  of  experience,  so  that  existing  plans 
may  be  said  to  be  the  result  of  a  process  of  evolution.  "The  de- 
velopment of  State  oversight  and  control  has  come  gradually,  and 
may  be  traced  in  the  State  constitutions,  the  laws,  and  the  decisions 
of  the  courts."* 

*Cubberley-Elliott:   State  and  County  School  Administration;   p.  143. 

Oklahoma  is  now  in  the  position  of  considering  what  changes, 

119 


120  PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

if  any,  to  make  in  the  State  system  of  public  education  for  the  next 
few  years,  and  has  the  opportunity  to  profit  by  her  own  experience 
and  that  of  other  States.  The  following  analysis  of  the  administra- 
tive features  of  a  State  system  of  education  suggests  the  more  im- 
portant points  which  should  be  considered. 

1.  Unification  of  general  control. — A  decision  should  be  reached 
as  to  the  extent  or  degree  of  centralization  of  control  to  be  adopted 
as  a  State  policy.    This  report  recommends  that  whatever  changes 
are  made  in  existing  arrangements  should  be  in  the  direction  of  fur- 
ther centralization  of  general  control  and  unification  of  the  entire 
system  of  education.     As  indicated  elsewhere    definite    provision 
should  be  made  for  local  initiative  and  local  control  of  details  under 
general  regulations,  but  it  is  important  to  think  of  all  phases  of  pub- 
lic education  within  the  State  as  parts  of  a  single,  unified,  coordi- 
nated system. 

The  various  types  of  education  should  be  developed  in  relation 
one  to  the  other,  and  in  proportion  to  their  function  in  a  general, 
comprehensive  plan.  As  in  a  city  it  has  not  been  thought  wise  to 
have  one  board  in  charge  of  elementary  schools,  another  in  charge 
of  high  schools,  another  in  charge  of  personnel,  and  so  on ;  so,  it  is 
believed,  in  a  State  definite  provision  should  be  made  for  the  con- 
sideration of  the  educational  system  as  a  whole,  and  the  relative 
needs  of  the  various  parts. 

This  can  be  accomplished  only  by  making  coordination  and 
unification  a  definite  responsibility  of  some  State  agency  designated 
for  this  purpose. 

2.  Determination  of  objectives. — One  of  the  most  important 
functions  of  the  agency  which  may  be  charged  with  the  responsi- 
bility of  general  oversight  is  to  bring  about  some  acceptable  deter- 
mination of  the  objectives  of  public  education.     The  citizens  of  a 
State,  and  even  the  educators  themselves,  do  not  always  have  a 
clear  conception  of  the  ends  sought  to  be  accomplished  by  the  var- 
ious parts  of  the  educational  system.    A  clear  definition  of  the  aims 
and  purposes  of  public  elementary  education  in  the  State  of  Okla- 
homa would  assist  materially  in  solving  the  problem  now  before 
the  people.    The  same  thing  may  be  said  of  secondary  education,  of 
higher  education,  and  of  special  forms  of  education.    This  function 
can  hardly  be  performed  by  any  agency  which  is  not  able  impar- 
tially and  judicially  to  evaluate  the  services  and  harmonize  the  en- 
thusiasms of  all  the  individuals,   groups,   and  institutions  which, 
together,  make  up  the  system. 


ORGANIZATION   AND  ADMINISTRATION  121 

3.  Definition  of  functions  and  responsibilities.    Having  deter- 
mined the  objectives  of  the  various  parts  of  the  system,  it  will  then 
be  possible  to  make  a  corresponding  assignment  of  functions  and 
division  of  responsibilities. 

4.  Coordination. — Coordination  of  the  activities  of  the  several 
parts  of  the  system!  is  essential, if  consistent  progress  is  to  be  made 
toward  realization  of  the   objectives   set   up.     Such   coordination 
should  be  specifically  provided  for,  and  some  officer  or  board  should 
be  charged  with  the  duty  of  securing  it. 

5.  Determination  of  standards. — Since  the  immediate  manage- 
ment of  the  schools  is  in  the  hands  of  local  boards,  the  State  must 
exercise  its  function  of  general  control  through  legislative  enact- 
ments and  regulatory  promulgations.    These  take  the  form,  in  part, 
of  prescriptions  of  minimum  standards  which  are  to  be  maintained. 
These  standards  relate  to  compulsory  school  attendance,  courses  of 
instruction,  qualifications  and  compensation  of  teachers,  and  the 
like.     Upon  the  State  also  rests  the  duty  of  equalizing  education 
opportunities  for  all. 

6.  Adequate  financial  support. — Participation  by  the  State  in 
the  financial  support  of  public  education  is  a  necessary  corollary  of 
the  principle  of  State  control,  and  the  principle  of  minimum  stand- 
ards set  by  the  State. 

7.  Preparation  of  the  budget. — The  importance  of  having  and 
living  up  to  a  budget  is  no  less  in  educational  affairs  than  in  the 
conduct  of  other  public  and  private  business.     Furthermore,  the 
preparation  of  a  budget  furnishes  an  additional  reason  for  a  uni- 
fied State  system  of  education. 

8.  Selection,  training  and  certification  of  personnel. — One  of 
the  most  important  functions  of  the  State  system  of  education  is 
discharged  in  its  dealing  with  the  problem  of  the  supply  of  ade- 
quately prepared  teachers. 

9.  Progressive  development. — It  is  not  sufficient  to  establish 
an  educational  system  for  today;  definite  provision  should  be  made 
for  future  growth  and  development.     The    plan    of    organization 
should  look  toward  progressive  improvement  and  increasing  effi- 
ciency.    To   this   end   effective   and  aggressive   leadership    at   the 
various  levels  should  be  definitely  provided  for. 

10.  Legislation. — Continuous  expert  study  of  the  legislative 
basis  of  the  State  educational  system  is  essential,  as  well  as  of  the 
plans  and  policies  adopted  in  other  States. 


122  PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

11.  Publicity. — The  schools  belong  to  the  people,  and  provision 
should  be  made  for  keeping  them  informed  as  to  the  goals  toward 
which  the  schools  are  working,  the  progress  they  are  making,  and 
in  general  what  returns  they  show  on  the  investment  which  the 
people  have  made  in  them. 

CONDITIONS  UNFAVORABLE  FOR  THE  EXERCISE  OF 
LEADERSHIP. 

These  desirable  ends  can  be  only  partially  realized  under  ex- 
isting conditions  in  Oklahoma,  which  are  distinctly  unfavorable  to 
the  exercise  of  leadership. 

(1)  The  first  serious  defect  in  the  State  administrative  plan 
for  education  is  found  in  the  large  number  of  unrelated  boards  and 
offices  having  to  do  with  educational  affairs. 

LIST   OF  BOARDS,   COMMISSIONS,   AND   OFFICES   HAVING 
TO  DO  WITH  EDUCATIONAL  AFFAIRS  IN  THE 

STATE  OF  OKLAHOMA. 
State  Board  of  Agriculture. 

A.  &  M.  College,  Stillwater. 

Connor  School  of  Agriculture,  Warner. 

Cameron  School  of  Agriculture,  Lawton. 

Panhandle  School  of  Agriculture,  Goodwell. 

Murray  School  of  Agriculture,  Tishomingo. 
State  Department  of  Education. 
State  Examiner  and  Inspector. 
Commissioners  of  State  Land  Office. 
State  Board  of  Public  Affairs. 

Eastern  State  Home  for  Orphans,  Pryor. 

Western  State  Home  for  Orphans,  Helena. 

Institute  for  Feeble-minded,  Enid. 

Colored  Deaf,  Blind  and  Orphan  Institute,  Taft. 

State  Training  School  for  Negro  Girls,  Taft. 

State  Training  School  for  White  Boys,  Pauls  Valley. 

State  Industrial  School  for  Girls,  Tecumseh. 

State  Training  School  for  Negro  Boys,  McAlester. 
State  Board  of  Education. 

Southeastern  State  Normal  School,  Durant. 

Central  State  Normal  School,  Edmond. 

Northwestern  State  Normal  School,  Alva. 

East  Central  State  Normal  School,  Ada. 


ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION  123 

Southwestern  State  Normal  School,  Weatherford. 
Northeastern  State  Normal  School,  Tahlequah. 
School  for  the  Blind,  Muskogee. 
School  for  the  Deaf,  Sulphur. 

Oklahoma  Library  Commission. 

Americanization  Commission. 

State  Commissioner  of  Health. 

Board  of  Control  for  Military  Training  in  Schools. 

State  Textbook  Commission. 

Board  of  Regents,  School  of  Mines,  Wilburton. 

Board  of  Regents,  School  of  Mines,  Miami. 

Board  of  Regents,  Oklahoma  Military  Academy,  Claremore. 

Board  of  Regents,  Oklahoma  Business  Academy,  Tonkawa. 

Board  of  Regents,  Colored  Agriculture  and  Normal  University, 
Langston. 

Board  of  Regents,  University  of  Oklahoma,  Norman. 

Board  of  Regents,  Oklahoma  College  for  Women,  Chickasha. 

In  addition  to  these  State  boards  are  to  be  found  County  excise 
boards,  County  boards  of  education,  and  urban  boards  of  education, 
with  no  adequate  provision  for  coordination,  and  with  indefinite 
relationships  as  to  mutual  responsibilities.  The  functons  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  these  various  agencies  are  discussed  in  appropriate 
places  in  other  Chapters.  It  is  sufficient,  at  this  point,  to  call  atten- 
tion to  the  grave  obstacles  in  the  way  of  developing  a  real  " system' ' 
of  public  education  along  these  lines. 

COMPOSITION  OF  BOARDS  FAULTY. 

(2)  Even  if  it  were  possible  to  conduct  a  system  of  education 
through  a  multiplicity  of  boards  such  as  this,  the  work  would  be 
done  most  inefficiently  because  of  the  way  in  which  certain  of  the 
boards  are  constituted.  Sound  principles  of  administration  demand 
a  clear  division  of  responsibility  between  the  board  of  trustees  and 
the  expert  executives  and  subordinates  employed  by  it. 

The  board  of  trustees  should  consist  of  representatives  of  the 
people,  the  patrons  who  are  to  be  served  by  the  schools,  and  should 
confine  its  activities  to  the  consideration  and  formulation  of  policies, 
the  selection  of  experts  to  execute  these  policies,  and  the  periodical 
inspection  of  the  work  of  its  executives  in  order  to  see  that  policies 
are  carried  out  and  the  desired  results  secured. 

The  executive  officers  and  other  educational  experts  employed 
by  the  board  should  be  chosen  solely  for  their  professional  qualifica- 


124  PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

tions  and  demonstrated  fitness  for  the  special  work  to  be  done.  The 
details  of  school  management  and  direction  must  be  left  to  those 
who  have  prepared  themselves  for  this  special  work.  Thus,  for  ex- 
ample, no  board  should  undertake  to  select  a  teacher  of  chemistry ; 
this  is  a  highly  technical  responsibility  which  should  be  delegated 
to  a  technically  qualified  expert. 

RECOMMENDATIONS  OF  LEADERS  FREQUENTLY 
DISREGARDED. 

(3)  A  third  factor  affecting  educational  progress  in  Oklahoma 
is  the  frequent  disregard  of  the  counsel  and  suggestions  of  the  edu- 
cational leaders  of  the  State.  Many  of  the  recommendations  em- 
bodied in  this  Survey  Report  have  been  urged  repeatedly  in  the 
past  by  State,  County,  and  city  superintendents,  and  others  who 
have  made  close  study  of  conditions  and  needs  in  Oklahoma. 

For  example,  the  State  Department  of  Education  has  for  years 
been  recommending  the  enactment  of  legislation  looking  toward 
the  establishment  of  the  county  unit  of  organization  and  adminis- 
tration of  elementary  and  secondary  schools.  Educators  in  all  parts 
of  the  State,  individually  and  through  their  professional  organiza- 
tions, have  urged  the  necessity  of  higher  standard  of  qualifications 
for  teachers.  The  imperative  need  of  relief  in  the  matter  of  Con- 
stitutional restrictions  has  been  demonstrated  over  and  over  again. 
Many  instances  could  be  cited  of  progressive  recommendations 
originating  from  those  in  position  of  educational  leadership  in 
Oklahoma,  which  have  come  to  nought,  because  they  have  been 
rejected  without  due  examination,  or  because  of  complexity  of 
administrative  machinery  and  diffusion  of  responsibility  for  action. 

If  the  educational  leaders  in  the  State  had  in  the  past  been  able 
to  lay  before  a  single  State  board  of  education,  composed  of  influ- 
ential and  representative  citizens  definitely  conscious  of  responsi- 
bility for  action,  a  comprehensive  statement  of  the  educational  needs 
of  Oklahoma,  together  with  recommendations  and  a  constructive 
program,  it  seems  reasonable  to  suppose  that  ntany  more  of  these 
suggestions  would  have  been  carried  into  effect. 

A  REORGANIZED  STATE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION. 

The  following  paragraphs  outline  definite  proposals  for  the  re- 
organized State  Department  of  Education. 


ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION  125 

STAFF  OF  THE  STATE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION. 

The  salary  paid  to  the  State  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, or  State  commissioner  of  education,  should  be  considered  as  an 
index  of  the  importance  of  the  responsibilities  of  the  office,  and  an 
index  of  the  realization  of  their  importance  on  the  part  of  the  cit- 
izens of  the  State.  The  influence  of  these  considerations  is  reflected 
in  a  definite  tendency  toward  higher  salaries,  but  a  number  of  States 
are  still  practicing  a  false  and  costly  economy  in  this  matter. 

A  study  of  the  State  departments  of  education*  shows  that  in 
only  six  cases  in  1920  were  State  superintendents  paid  less  than 
$3,000 ;  13  received  $3,000  to  $3,600 ;  11  received  $4,000  to  $4,600 ; 
9,  $5,000;  2,  $6,000;  2,  $7,500;  1,  $8,000;  1,  $9,000;  2,  $10,000;  1, 
$12,000.  The  lowest  salary  paid  was  $2,000,  Nebraska ;  the  highest, 
$12,000,  Pennsylvania ;  the  average  salary  was  $4,647.91. 

"Organization  of  State  departments  of  education,  Bulletin  1920,  No.  46. 

The  total  payroll  for  the  staff  of  the  State  department  of  educa- 
tion was  less  than  $25,000  in  9  States ;  in  20  States  the  amount  was 
over  $25,000,  and  less  than  $50,000 ;  in  8  States  $50,000  to  $75,000 ; 
in,  5  States  $75,000  to  $100,000 ;  in  3  States  $100,000  to  $200,000 ;  in 
3  States  over  $200,000.  The  lowest  total  payroll  was  $15,750, 
Nevada;  the  highest,  $822,900,  New  York;  the  average,  $72,681.16. 

The  total  payroll  for  Oklahoma  in  1920  was  reported  as  $26,600. 
Oklahoma  needs  a  much  better  equipped  department  of  education 
even  for  the  maintenance  and  direction  of  the  present  school  system. 
If  the  State  is  to  undertake  an  educational  program,  such  as  is  out- 
lined in  this  report,  and  to  carry  it  out  intelligently,  effectively,  and 
economically,  the  need  for  a  more  potent  agency  for  leadership  is 
imperative. 

The  Survey,  therefore,  recommends  the  establishment  of  the 
salary  of  the  State  superintendent  or  commissioner  of  education  at 
$7,500,  with  other  salaries  in  proportion,  and  the  increase  of  the 
salary  budget  to  $102,000,  to  be  reached  by  1925,  as  follows : 

With  the  development  of  the  -forward  program  it  will  undoubt- 
edly be  necessary  to  increase  certain  of  the  salaries  suggested  in 
the  foregoing  budget,  and  to  add  the  following:  two  assistants  to 
the  director  of  educational  research;  two  assistants  to  the  director 
of  physical  education;  supervisor  of  music;  supervisor  of  art  edu- 
cation; assistant  specialist  in  school  buildings  and  grounds;  6  cler- 
ical assistants. 


126  PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

PERSONNEL  OF  THE  STAFF. 

In  the  appointment  of  the  Commissioner  of  education  the  State 
board  of  education  should  canvass  the  entire  United  States  and  en- 
deavor to  select  a  man  of  successful  experience  in  large  enterprises 
and  of  broad  vision  in  educational  affairs,  who  is  capable  of  assum- 
ing a  position  of  leadership  which  will  carry  the  citizens  and  the 
teachers  of  the  State  unitedly  to  the  consummation  of  the  great  task 
ahead. 

For  assistant  commissioner  in  charge  of  teacher  training  should 
be  chosen  someone  of  outstanding  achievements  in  this  field,  whose 
special  assignment  will  be  to  improve  the  qualifications  of  the  teach- 
ers now  in  service,  and  to  assist  in  the  development  of  the  State 
plansi  for  the  preparation  of  teachers.  It  should  be  the  function  of 
this  office  to  educate  the  citizens  of  Oklahoma  to  an  appreciation  of 
the  significance  of  the  service  rendered  by  professionally  qualified 
and  devoted  teachers,  as  well  as  to  inspire  and  lead  the  teachers 
themselves. 

It  should  be  the  duty  of  the  assistant  commissioner  in  charge 
of  school  administration  to  work  primarily  with  county  and  city 
superintendents,  principals  of  schools,  and  others  having  adminis- 
trative responsibilities.  By  means  of  conferences  for  the  discussion 
of  special  problems,  bulletins,  and  correspondence,  administrative 
officers  can  be  given  the  results  of  the  best  modern  developments, 
and  suggestions  which  will  lead  to  economy  of  tim,e  and  effort  and 
the  organization  of  more  effective  administrative  machinery. 

The  suggestions  with  reference  to  the  staff  in  rural  education 
are  justified  both  by  the  importance  of  rural  education  in  Oklahoma 
and  by  the  demands  of  the  proposed  program.  There  should  be  a 
supervisor  of  elementary  education,  as  well  as  a  supervisor  of  sec- 
ondary education,  in  order  to  insure  continuous/  study  of  these 
special  problems,  and  to  provide  authoritative  sources  of  inspira- 
tion and  guidance  in  these  important  phases  of  education. 

A  strong  division  of  vocational  education  should  be  organized 
by  providing  for  a  State  director  of  vocational  education,  with  a 
staff  consisting  of  supervisors  of  agricultural  education,  trades  and 
industries,  manual  arts,  and  home  economics,  respectively. 

The  director  of  educational  research  should  undertake  the  re- 
organization of  the  educational  statistics  of  the  department,  includ- 
ing data  on  school  costs,'  revenues,  enrollment,  attendance,  and  the 
like.  As  rapidly  as  the  necessary  assistants  can  be  provided,  this 


ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION  127 

division  should  also  include  a  study  of  educational  legislation,  and 
should  prepare  to  assume  State  leadership  in  the  field  of  educational 
and  psychological  tests  and  measurements.  The  director  of  educa- 
tional research  should  be  responsible  for  coordinating  the  work  of 
the  director  of  physical  education  and  the  specialist  in  school  build- 
ings and  grounds  with  the  work  of  his  own  division. 

The  director  of  physical  education  should  have  charge  of  all 
activities  relating  to  the  promotion  of  physical  education,  school 
hygiene  and  sanitation,  and  health  education. 

The  specialist  in  school  buildings  and  grounds  should  have  had 
successful  experience  in  designing  and  planning  school  buildings, 
and  should  have  thorough  knowledge  of  construction  and  of  the 
various  kinds  of  school  equipment.  The  division  should  prepare 
and  distribute  plans  of  buildings  and  grounds  for  the  use  of  local 
school  boards,  on  request,  and  should  be  prepared  to  offer  sugges- 
tions concerning  equipment  and  maintenance. 

The  importance  of  the  problem  of  education  for  negroes  in 
Oklahoma  should  be  recognized  by  the  appointment  of  a  director 
who  by  reason  of  his  special  training,  experience,  and  qualifications 
for  this  work  will  command  the  confidence  and  support  of  the  people 
of  both  races.  The  white  people  of  Oklahoma  have,  in  fact,  at  least 
as  much  at  stake  as  the  negroes  in  any  decision  as  to  what  educa- 
tional opportunities  shall  be  provided  for  the  latter. 

In  common  with  many  other  offices,  the  department  of  educa- 
tion is  inadequately  provided  with  clerical  assistance.  The  additions 
suggested  will  increase  the  effectiveness  of  the  work,  and  make 
possible  more  complete  utilization  of  the  expert  knowledge  and 
abilities  represented  by  the  staff. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

1.     GENERAL  AND  HISTORICAL. 
1.     INTRODUCTION. 

This  report  on  public  higher  education  in  Oklahoma  deals 
specifically  with  the  following  thirteen  institutions. 

1.  University  of  Oklahoma,  at  Norman. 

2.  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and  Mechanical   College,   at   Still- 
water. 

3.  Oklahoma  College  for  Women,  at  Chickasha. 

4.  East  Central  State  Teachers'  College,  at  Ada. 

5.  Northwestern  State  Teachers'  College,  at  Alva. 

6.  Southeastern  State  Teachers'  College,  at  Durant. 

7.  Central  State  Teachers'  College,  at  Edmond. 

8.  Northeastern  State  Teachers'  College,  at  Tahlequah. 

9.  Southwestern  State  Teachers'  College,  at  Weatherford. 

10.  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University,  at  Langston. 

11.  Oklahoma  School  of  Mines,  at  Wilburton. 

12.  Miami  School  of  Mines  at  Miami. 

13.  Panhandle  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  at  Good- 
well. 

All  of  the  institutions  were  visited  by  one  or  more  members  of 
the  group  who  made  the  study  of  higher  education  in  the  State. 
In  addition  to  securing  information  through  conferences  and  from 
printed  material,  statistical  data  were  collected  from  the  several 
institutions  named. 

2.     THE  FUNCTIONS  OF  THE  HIGHER  INSTITUTIONS. 

Oklahoma  has  great  natural  resources  in  land,  minerals,  oil, 
coal  and  forests.  Upon  the  proper  development  and  economic  dis- 
tribution of  these  resources  and  their  products,  depends  the  material 
wealth  and  the  physical  comforts  of  the  citizens  of  this  and  other 
States  in  the  Union.  In  order  that  there  may  be  the  least  amount 
of  waste  in  all  things  pertaining  to  the  material  resources  of  the 

128 


HIGHER   EDUCATION  129 

State,  it  is  essential  that  the  greatest  possible  care  and  intelligence 
be  used  in  their  development  and  distribution.  For  this  purpose 
the  State  has  need  of  an  increasing  number  of  trained  specialists 
and  technicians. 

In  a  Democracy  the  people  govern.  They  do  so  by  the  selection 
of  officials  and  the  power  of  public  opinion.  Each  year  the  ques- 
tions which  present  themselves  for  solution  in  the  realm  of  inter- 
national, national,  State  and  local  government  seem  more  and  more 
complex.  To  solve  them  intelligently  it  is  imperative  that  an  in- 
creasing amount  of  knowledge  concerning  economic,  political  and 
social  problems  be  spread  abroad  among  the  citizens  of  Oklahoma 
and  other  States.  There  is  no  other  assurance  of  the  permanency  of 
a  democratic  form  of  government. 

Finally,  on  a  basis  of  material  wealth  and  intelligent  democratic 
government  depends  the  possibility  of  culture  and  the  refinements 
of  life,  which  after  all,  should  be  the  climax  of  the  life  of  any 
individual.  So  far  as  is  economically  possible,  and  in  accordance 
with  the  ability  of  every  individual  there  should  be  developed  a 
widespread  appreciation  of  good  literature,  music,  art,  and  ethics 
or  religion  which  satisfy  the  deepest  longings  of  the  human  soul 
and  lift  an  individual  out  of  the  ordinary  daily  routine  of  living. 

In  order  that  all  these  ends  may  be  attained,  it  is  essential  that 
there  shall  be  leaders.  For  the  development  of  our  natural  resources, 
we  need  the  engineer,  the  chemist,  the  scientific  farmer,  the  trained 
forester,  the  oil  geologist,  and  a  hundred  other  experts.  For  the 
proper  distribution  and  use  of  the  products  of  the  soil,  the  mine  and 
the  forest,  we  need  the  services  of  trained  economists,  administra- 
tors, doctors,  and  dieticians.  In  order  that  we  may  have  intelligent 
and  effective  popular  government  there  should  be  a  host  of  trained 
men  and  women,  including  lawyers  and  judges  who  can  analyze 
public  problems  and  lead  public  opinion  in  their  solution.  And, 
finally,  there  are  needed  thousands  of  trained  teachers  in  our  elemen- 
tary and  secondary  schools  who  are  capable  of  offering  to  the  boys 
and  girls  of  the  State  that  cultural,  preparatory,  or  vocational 
education  which  will  enable  them  to  take  their  places  in  modern 
society  most  effectively. 

For  all  these  purposes,  the  State  of  Oklahoma  has  established 
and  is  maintaining  its  institutions  of  higher  learning.  The  obliga- 
tions which  these  institutions  have  to  the  State  are  as  broad  and  as 
deep  as  there  is  need  in  the  State  for  trained  leaders  of  more  than 
s.  s.  s 


130  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

secondary  school  education.  The  degree  to  which  the  higher  insti- 
tutions fulfill  these  obligations  will,  in  large  part,  determine  the 
material  prosperity,  the  quality  of  government  and  the  spread  of 
culture  among  the  citizens  of  Oklahoma. 

The  obligation  on  the  part  of  the  State  to  develop  higher  edu- 
cation should  under  no  circumstances  be  considered  as  a  dead 
expense.  The  more  a  State  actually  invests  in  higher  education  the 
more  certain  it  can  be  of  the  physical  comfort  of  its  citizens,  the 
stability  of  its  government  and  the  spread  of  culture.  Education, 
therefore,  in  all  its  forms  should  be  regarded  as  the  best  investment 
the  people  of  the  State  can  m'ake  either  from  an  individual  or  a 
State  point  of  view. 

3.  EVOLUTION  OF  PUBLIC  HIGHER  EDUCATION. 
Public  higher  education  in  Oklahoma  had  its  official  beginning 
in  1890  in  which  year  the  first  legislature  of  the  Territory  of  Okla- 
homa established  three  institutions,  the  University  of  Oklahoma, 
the  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  and  Agricul- 
tural Experiment  Station,  and  the  State  Normal  School  at  Edmond. 
The  next  move  was  made  in  1897  when  a  State  normal  school  was 
established  at  Alva,  and  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal 
University  was  provided  for.  This  was  followed  in  1901  by  setting 
up  another  State  Normal  school  at  Weatherford.  Thus  when  state- 
hood was  attained  in  1907,  Oklahoma  had  six  public  institutions  of 
higher  learning. 

The  enabling  act  gave  support  to  and  strengthened  these  in- 
stitutions by  granting  section  13  in  each  township  of  certain  Indian 
reservations  and  of  all  other  lands  opened  for  settlement  in  the 
Territory  of  Oklahoma  "for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  University 
of  Oklahoma  and  the  University  Preparatory  School,  one-third;  of 
the  normal  schools  now  established  or  hereafter  to  be  established, 
one-third;  and  of  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  and  the 
Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University,  one-third. ' '  A  second 
grant  which  pertained  directly  to  higher  education  was  included  in 
the  enabling  act  as  follows : 

For  the  benefit  of  the  State  university 250,000  acres 

University  preparatory  school 150,000  acres 

Agricultural  and  mechanical  college 250,000  acres 

Colored  agricultural  and  normal  university 100,000  acres 

State  normal  schools 300,000  acres. 


HIGHER   EDUCATION  131 

Moneys  derived  from  these  sources  constitute  the  "new  college 
fund." 

The  first  addition  to  public  higher  education  following  state- 
hood was  made  by  the  first  State  legislature  which  in  1908  pro- 
vided for  the  establishment  of  the  Industrial  Institute  and  College 
for  Girls  "to  give  instruction  in  industrial  arts,  the  English  language 
and  the  various  branches  of  mathematical,  physical,  natural  and 
economical  sciences,  with  special  reference  to  their  application  in 
the  industries  of  life. ' '  1  The  same  legislature  provided  for  the 

1.  The  institution  was  conditionally  located  at  Chickasha  by  an  act  approved 
March  27,  1909.     In  1916  its  name  was  changed  to  the   Oklahoma  College  for 
Women. 

creation  of  a  State  School  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy  at  Wilburton, 
"to  teach  such  branches  in  mining  and  metallurgy  as  will  give 
a  thorough  technical  knowledge  of  mines  and  mining  and  all  subjects 
pertaining  thereto.  "2 

2.  In    1919    the    institution   was    ordered    "to    include    and    accentuate    in    its 
curriculum  vocational  instruction  below  college   grade   in  vocations   relating 
to  mining  industries."     The  school  was  closed  from  1917  to  1919. 

Regular  courses  extending  over  four  years  and  leading  to 
degrees  were  to  be  provided.  By  these  enactments  the  eastern 
part  of  the  State,  formerly  Indian  Territory,  and  the  western  part 
of  the  State,  formerly  Oklahoma  Territory,  each  were  granted  a 
State  institution. 

Further  facilities  for  higher  education  were  provided  by  the 
second  State  legislature  in  1909  through  the  establishment  of  three 
State  normal  schools  in  the  section  which  had  previously  been  Indian 
Territory.  The  schools  were  located  at  Ada,  Durant,  and  Tahle- 
quah.  The  eastern  part  of  the  State  then  had  three  State  teacher 
training  institutions  just  as  had  the  western  section. 

No  more  schools  of  higher  learning  were  established  following 
1909  until  1919  in  which  latter  year  the  legislature  provided  for 
the  Miami  School  of  Mines,  and  expressed  its  purpose  as  follows : 

"The  Miami  School  of  Mines  created  by  this  act  shall  be  a 
school  where  the  science  of  mining  and  the  study  of  metals  shall 
be  taught;  and  the  courses  of  study  to  be  prescribed  for  the  stud- 
ents of  the  school  shall,  at  all  times,  be  selected  with  the  view  of 
the  further  development  of  the  mining  industries  of  the  State  of 
Oklahoma,  and  said  school  shall  be  essentially  a  vocational  school 
for  the  preparation  of  those  wishing  to  engage  in  the  various  phases 
of  the  mining  business  in  the  State  of  Oklahoma." 


132  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Thus  was  created  a  second  State  school  of  mines  in  a  State  which 
did  not  need  even  one  as  later  events  have  clearly  shown.  Evident- 
ly this  action  was  not  preceded  by  a  careful  investigation  of  the  con- 
ditions prevailing  in  the  mining  industry. 

A  further  step  was  taken  by  the  State  in  1921.  By  earlier 
acts  five  district  agricultural  schools  had  been  established.  One 
of  these,  located  at  Goodwell,  was  in  1921  authorized  to  add  two 
years  of  college  work  to  its  secondary  course,  which  college  work 
was  to  include  "courses  in  agriculture,  mechanical  arts,  home 
economics,  education,  and  other  auxiliary  subjects." 

Some  knowledge  of  the  development  may  be  gained  from  the 
statistical  tables  appended  to  this  report.  The  13  institutions 
named  are  manned  by  over  500  faculty  members  who  give  instruction 
to  almost  15,000  students,  besides  carrying  on  research  work  of 
various  forms,  and  extension  work  in  agriculture  and  home  econom- 
ics which  covers  the  entire  State.  All  of  this  service  involves 
an  annual  expenditure  of  approximately  $3,500,000.  It  is  truly 
a  large  undertaking. 

The  progress  of  higher  education  in  Oklahoma  has  been  remark- 
able during  the  past  fifteen  years.  The  end  is  not  yet.  In  the 
future  provision  must  be  made  in  an  even  more  generous  way  if 
the  demands  for  higher  education  are  to*  be  met  adequately.  The 
citizens  are  awake  to  the  desirability  of  such  training.  The  second- 
ary schools  have  come  into  their  own  only  within  the  past  decade,  and 
in  all  probability  the  extension  of  secondary  education  will  continue 
at  a  rapid  rate  for  years  to  come,  especially,  if  the  recommendations 
pertaining  thereto  in  another  part  of  this  report  are  adopted  by 
the  Stale.  Such  an  extension  will  in  turn  increase  the  demand  for 
higher  education. 

One  of  the  outstanding  features  of  the  growth  of  higher  educa- 
tion in  the  State  is  that  it  has  occurred  without  any  definite  plan 
on  the  part  of  the  State.  There  are  too  many  State  institutions 
for  present  demands  and  some  of  them  are  unfortunately  located. 
Evidence  will  be  presented  later  which  will  show  the  lack  of  sound 
and  dear  objectives  in  the  development  noted  as  it  relates  to  several 
institutions.  The  time  is  at  hand  when  the  State  should  take  stock 
of  its  provision  for  higher  education  and  adopt  a  clear  policy  for 
the  future.  By  this  means  waste  can  be  prevented  and  progress 
can  be  economically  promoted.  It  is  a  task  which  will  require 
sound  judgment,  clear  vision,  and  a  firm  hand. 


HIGHER    EDUCATION  133 

II.     STATE  ADMINISTRATION  AND  CONTROL. 
1.     ADMINISTRATION  BOARDS. 

Evolution  of  State  Administration.  State  Administration  and 
control  of  public  higher  education  in  Oklahoma  has  passed  through 
several  phases.  In  a  general  way,  the  early  administration  was 
quite  decentralized.  The  State  University  was  in  the  care  of  a 
board  of  regents.  The  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  was 
cared  for  in  a  similar  manner.  In  1907,  however,  the  State  Board 
of  Agriculture  was  by  the  Constitution  made  the  board  of  regents 
of  all  agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges,  the  purpose  being  to 
have  a  unified  system  of  such  institutions.  The  legislation  to  carry 
out  this  provision  was  enacted  in  1908. 

When  the  State  normal  school  at  Edmond  was  created  it  was 
placed  under  a  board  of  education,  and  later,  as  other  normal 
schools  were  established,  they  were  also  put  under  the  charge  of 
the  same  board  of  education.  The  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal 
University,  the  Industrial  Institute  and  College  for  Girls,  and  the 
State  School  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy  were,  however,  given  sepa- 
rate board  of  regents. 

A  board  was  •  created  in  1909,  known  as  the  State  Board  of 
Public  Affairs,  which  has  a  close  relation  to  the  administration  of 
higher  education.  It  consists  of  three  members  appointed  by 
the  governor,  by  and  with  the  advice  of  the  Senate,  for  a  term 
coterminous  with  his  own.  This  is  a  paid  board.  Its  duties  are 
to  have  charge  of  the  construction,  repair,  maintenance,  insurance, 
and  operation,  of  all  buildings  under  State  control,  to  have  the  cus- 
tody of  all  State  property  except  in  certain  cases,  to  keep  accounts 
of  property  purchased  for  the  State  and  its  officials,  and  other  duties 
of  similar  nature.  In  was  also  provided  that  this  board  should 
contract  for,  purchase,  and  acquire  "all  furnishings,  furniture, 
and  supplies  of  every  kind  or  description  for  the  use  of  the  State 
or  its  officers,  or  the  support  of  the  several  State  institutions." 
The  board  in  the  nature  of  the  case  was  given  important  duties 
and  a  large  task. 

In  1911  the  State  readically  changed  its  method  of  administering 
its  various  educational  institutions.  At  that  time  the  following 
sixteen  State  boards  were  looking  after  various  aspects  of  educa- 
tion: 

(1)  State  board  of  education. 

(2)  State  textbook  commission. 


134  PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

(3)  Board  of  regents  of  the  State  University. 

(4)  Board  of  regents  of  the  university  preparatory  schools. 

(5)  Board     of     education     in     control  of  the  State  normal 
schools. 

(6)  Board  of  regents  of  the  Oklahoma  Industrial  Institute  and 
College  for  Girls. 

(7)  Board  of  regents  of  the  School  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy. 

(8)  Board  of  control  of  the  School  for  the  Deaf. 

(9)  Board  of  control  of  the  School  for  the  Blind. 

(10)  Board  of  control  of  the  Boys'  Training  School. 

(11)  Board  of  control  of  the  Orphans'  Home. 

(12)  Board  of  control  of  the  Institution  for  the  Feeble  minded. 

(13)  Board  of  regents  of  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal 
University. 

(14)  Board  of  regents  of  the  Institute  for  the  Deaf,  Blind  and 
Orphans'  Home  for  the  Colored. 

(15)  State  Board  of  Agriculture. 

(16)  State  Board  of  Public  Affairs. 

It  was  truly  a  bewildering  array  of  machinery  to  have  in 
charge  of  the  State  affairs  of  education.  In  1911  an  attempt  was 
made  to  bring  order  out  of  chaos  by  setting  up  a  highly  central- 
ized control  through  an  act  which  created  the  State  Board  of 
Education  to  be  the  legal  successor  of  the  first  fourteen  boards 
named  above.  It  was  a  stupendous  task  with  which  the  new  board 
was  invested. 

An  important  act  passed  in  1917  authorized  certain  designated 
higher  educational  institutions  to  confer  degrees  and  it  empowered 
the  State  board  of  education  to  approve  other  institutions  for  de- 
gree-conferring purposes.  The  law  was  amended  in  1919  by 
adding  two  institutions  to  the  list  in  1917. 

As  the  organization  of  the  State  administration  above  described 
continued  in  its  work  it  proved  more  or  less  unsatisfactory.  The 
reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  Too  many  heterogeneous  interests  and 
activities  were  thrown  together,  many  of  which  had  little  or  no 
relation  to  others.  Consequently,  an  effort  at  decentralization 
was  made  which  resulted  in  1919  in  the  creation  of  a  separate  board 
of  regents  for  each  State  institution  of  higher  learning  formerly 
under  the  central  board,  except  for  the  six  State  normal  schools 
which  remained  under  the  State  Board  of  Education.  The  Miami 
School  of  Mines  established  in  the  same  year  was  also  given  a  sepa- 


HIGHER   EDUCATION  135 

rate  board  of  regents. 

It  should  be  pointed  out  here  that  the  experience  of  Oklahoma 
above  recounted  can  hardly  be  said  to  discredit  the  idea  of  a  cen- 
tral board  of  control  for  State  higher  education.  It  rather  illus- 
trates the  fact  that  a  central  board  in  charge  of  numerous  activities 
not  closely  related  is  not  likely  to  prove  a  success. 

The  evolution  has  resulted  in  the  following  boards  which  have 
to  do  with  higher  education : 

(1)  Board  of  Regents  of  the  State  University. 

(2)  State  Board  of  Agriculture  which  constitutes  the  Board 
of  Regents  of  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Colleges. 

(3)  Board  of  Regents  of  the  Oklahoma  School  of  Mines  and 
Metallurgy. 

(4)  Board  of  Regent^  of  the  Miami  School  of  Mines. 

(5)  Board  of  Regents  of  the  Oklahoma  College  for  Women. 

(6)  Board  of  Regents  for  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Nor- 
mal University. 

(7)  State  Board  of  Education   administering  the   six   State 
teachers'  colleges. 

(8)  Board  of  Public  Affairs  administering  the  finances  of  all 
State  institutions.  1 

1.  There  is  also  a  Board  of  Public  Lands  which  has  charge  of  the  school 
lands  and  of  the  funds  derived  therefrom.  The  State  Board  for  Vocational 
Education  deals  with  the  State  higher  education  institutions  in  so  far  as  they 
perform  services  under  the  Federal  Smith-Hughes  Act. 

DISCUSSION  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The  situation  as  it  now  exists  is  by  no  means  ideal.  There  are 
no  clear  principles  of  organization  involved  in  the  multuplicity  of 
boards  now  in  existence,  nor  have  any  such  principles  been  evident 
in  the  shifting  which  has  occurred.  Local  feelings  and  political 
exigencies  seem  to  have  been  the  determining  factors  underlying 
the  changes. 

Much  thought  has  been  given  to  the  method  of  State  administra- 
tion now  in  vogue,  in  the  belief  that  a  clarification  of  this  situation 
will  care  for  many  of  the  defects  in  the  State  provision  for  higher 
education. 

Certain  principles  of  sound  administration  may  be  stated. 
First,  The  number  of  State  boards  should  be  reduced  to  the  small- 
est number  consistent  with  good  administration ;  Second,  each  board 
should  be  in  charge  of  closely  related  activities  only,  if  it  is  to  look 
after  its  charges  properly ;  Third,  Some  means  should  be  adopted  to 


136  PUBLIC   EDUCATION   IN   OKLAHOMA 

insure  a  plan  of  development,  rather  than  to  allow  progress  to 
occur  in  sporadic  fashion. 

With  these  principles  in  mind,  it  is  recommended  that  the  work 
of  higher  education  be  put  in  charge  of  four  board  as  follows : 

(1)  Board  of  regents  for  the  State  University. 

(2)  Board  of  regents  for  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  col- 
leges. 

(3)  Board  of  regents  for  the  State  teachers'  colleges. 

(4)  Board  of  regents  for  the  Oklahoma  College  for  Women. 
The  board  of  regents  for  the  State  University  should  have  in 

charge  the  University  and  any  State  junior  colleges  of  liberal  arts 
which  are  in  existence  or  which  may  be  established  in  the  future. 
Under  no  circumstances  should  such  jtfnior  colleges  be  established 
except  as  they  are  approved  by  this  board. 

The  Miami  School  of  Mines,  if  it  is  to  be  continued  as  a  state 
school  should  be  officially  reorganized  as  a  junior  college  of  liberal 
arts.  Of  the  107  students  enrolled  14  are  of  secondary  grade  and 
93  are  of  college  standing.  A  study  of  the  catalog  makes  it  clear 
that  the  institution  is  no  longer  ' '  essentially  a  vocational  school  for 
the  preparation  of  those  wishing  to  engage  in  the  various  phases 
of  the  mining  business  of  the  State  of  Oklahoma."  In  fact,  the 
school  at  present  is  in  reality  a  liberal  arts  junior  college,  which 
articulates  closely  with  the  University  of  Oklahoma.  It  gives 
only  passing  attention  to  mining.  If  the  school  is  reorganized  as 
a  junior  college  it  should  be  placed  under  the  University  board 
of  regents. 

The  board  of  regents  of  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  col- 
leges should  have  in  charge  the  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and  Mechani- 
cal College  and  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University. 
The  latter  school  is  logically  a  part  of  the  system  of  education  in 
agriculture  and  the  mechanic  arts  and  it  should  be  included  in  the 
administration  of  the  system. 

The  Oklahoma  School  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy,  at  Wilburton, 
should  be  abandoned.  When  it  was  visited  the  school  had  198 
students  as  follows : 

137  vocational  rehabilitation  men 
31  women  in  commercial  courses. 
23  men  in  other  subcollegiate  courses 
7  men  in  college  courses. 


HIGHER   EDUCATION  137 

It  is  apparent  that  this  school  is  doing  comparatively  little  as 
a  school  of  mines  and  metallurgy.  The  great  variety  of  courses 
is  no  doubt  an  attempt  to  keep  up  the  school  by  giving  anything 
for  which  students  can  be  obtained.  The  number  of  students  in 
mining  indicates  very  little  demand  for  courses  in  that  field,  so  little 
as  scarcely  if  at  all  to  justify  the  continuation  of  the  school  as  a 
school  of  mines.  To  attempt  a  junior  college  at  Wilburton  would  in 
the  judgment  of  the  committee  be  very  unwise. 

The  constitutional  provision  which  makes  the  State  board  of 
agriculture  serve  as  the  board  of  regents  of  the  agricultural  and 
mechanical  colleges  should  be  repealed.  There  is  a  very  decided 
tendency  among  the  several  States  to  separate  the  various  forms 
of  regulatory  and  police  work  from  the  service  which  is  primarily 
educational  as  such  separation  makes  for  better  services  in  both  lines. 
The  board  in  charge  of  the  educational  service  should  be  entirely 
nonpolitical,  and  it  should  have  very  little  if  any  connection  with 
those  activities  which  tend  to  involve  it  in  political  turmoils. 

The  board  of  agriculture  is  constituted  of  a  president,  who  js 
elected  on  a  partisan  ballot,  and  of  four  other  members,  who  are 
appointed  by  the  Governor  with  the  consent  of  the  Senate.  It  is 
thus  a  political  body,  and  is  closely  tied  up  with  the  political  for- 
tunes of  two  men.  This  form  of  management  is  largely  responsible 
for  the  unfortunate  conditions  at  the  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  College.  To  place  the  college  under  an  educational 
board  will  be  in  keeping  with  the  best  practice  and  will  materially 
change  the  existing  state  of  affairs  in  that  institution.  It  is  the 
deliberate  judgment  of  the  committee  that  until  the  method  of 
State  control  of  the  college  is  changed  the  college  will  not  be  able 
to  do  its  work  in  the  most  successful  way. 

The  six  State  teachers '  colleges-  should  be  under  one  board  of 
regents.  At  present  they  are  under  the  State  board  of  education, 
an  arrangement  which  should  by  all  means  be  changed.  Here  again 
the  statement  applies  that  the  regulatory  and  inspectional  work 
should  be  separated  from  that  which  is  primarily  educational.  A 
State  board  of  education  should  be  responsible  for  the  inspection  of 
schools,  the  certification  of  teachers,  etc.  Its  duties  should  not 
include  the  training  of  those  who  are  to  be  certified  by  it  as  teachers. 
The  principle  is  clear.  Teachers  are  trained  in  the  colleges  and 
university  as  well  as  in  the  normal  school.  If  the  certifying  board 
has  some  of  the  teacher  training  in  charge,  its  points  of  view  is  likely 


138  PUBLIC   EDUCATION   IN   OKLAHOMA 

to  be  that  of  the  service  rendered  by  its  charges  and  its  regulations 
are  likely  to  be  such  as  pertain  to  those  institutions  primarily.  As 
a  certifying  agency  the  State  board  of  education  should  have  no 
official  relations  with  any  of  the  teacher  training  institutions. 

The  board  of  regents  of  the  Oklahoma  College  for  Women 
should  be  in  charge  of  the  college  named.  The  work  of  the  college 
is  as  closely  related  to  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  as. 
it  is  to  the  State  University  and  it  is  therefore  thought  inadvisable 
to  put  it  in  charge  of  any  of  the  boards  which  control  those  insti- 
tutions. The  college  renders  a  unique  and  special  service,  which 
can  well  be  under  separate  management.  There  should  be  women 
members  of  the  board. 

Under  the  existing  law  the  State  board  of  public  affairs  pur- 
chases supplies  and  equipment,  erects  buildings,  at  the  various  in- 
stitutions and  has  custody  of  the  property.  This  board  is  appoint- 
ed each  four  years  and  it  goes  in  and  out  with  the  governor,  which 
results  in  frequent  changes  in  management.  Furthermore,  the 
board  is  an  exceptionally  busy  one  as  it  expends  millions  of  dollars 
yearly.  In  a  general  way,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  committee 
has  met  but  little  dissatisfaction  with  the  board's  conduct  of  busi- 
ness, the  board  having  been  awake  to  the  fact  that  much  educational 
equipment  and  many  supplies  are  so  specialized  that  the  bid  system 
of  purchase  does  not  apply  to  them.  The  difficulty  of  such  pur- 
chasing has  been  overcome  by  the  board's  designating  some  per- 
son at  the  several  institutions  to  act  for  the  board.  It  is  a  recog- 
nition of  the  fact  that  such  purchasing  can  properly  be  left  to  local 
authorities. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  boards  governing  the  several  in- 
stitutions be  given  authority  by  law  to  purchase  equipment,  books, 
and  supplies,  and  the  State  Board  of  Public  Affairs  be  made  respon- 
sible for  purchasing  fuel,  placing  insurance,  and  erecting  buildings, 
the  latter  function  being  performed  with  the  advice  of  the  respective 
boards  of  administration.  Such  an  arrangement  will  make  for 
economical  and  expeditious  service. 

From  the  State  point  of  view  there  remains  to  be  considered 
some  means  or  method  of  coordinating  the  work  of  the  several  in- 
stitutions of  higher  learning  and  of  holding  them  to  their  proper 
functions.  Various  expedients  have  been  adopted  in  several  quart- 
ers to  secure  results.  It  is  one  of  the  underlying  reasons  which 
has  frequently  resulted  in  a  central  board  of  control.  It  does  not 
seem  advisable  to  recommend  that  a  single  central  board  of  control 


HIGHER   EDUCATION  139 

should  at  present  be  adopted  by  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  and  accord- 
ingly the  setting  up  of  four  boards  is  suggested.  To  secure  some 
form  of  coordination,  representatives  of  the  four  boards  should  hold 
an  annual  or  semi-annual  meeting  to  discuss  and  determine  matters 
which  affect  more  than  one  of  the  groups  of  institutions. 

2.     ORGANIZATION  OF  STATE  BOARDS. 

The  evidence  which  has  been  submitted  to  the  committee  makes 
it  clear  that  the  State  has  been  unfortunate  in  the  organization  of 
its  State  boards  which  have  had  to  do  with  higher  education.  In- 
formation is  not  lacking  to  the  effect  that  political  motives  have 
had  a  prominent  part  in  the  State  institutions  of  higher  learning. 
The  frequent  changing  of  presidents  of  the  several  institutions, 
with  the  exception  of  only  a  few  institutions,  seems  to  indicate 
•clearly  that  motives  other  than  professional  have  all  too  frequently 
been  present. 

Such  constant  changing  is  extremely  unfortunate.  It  cannot 
strongly  foster  an  interest  in  the  progress  of  the  various  institu- 
tions and  it  tends  to  put  a  premium  on  a  short  sighted  policy.  It 
fails  to  attract  the  ablest  men  for  there  is  little  interest  in  a  posi- 
tion which  offers  too  little  security  to  make  the  investment  of  one's 
energies  worth  while.  Undoubtedly  the  organization  of  the  State 
boards  is  the  crux  of  the  difficulty  and  is  responsible  for  much 
of  the  shifting.  The  time  has  come  when  the  citizens  of  Oklahoma 
should  seriously  consider  whether  they  will  continue  the  methods  too 
long  in  vogue  or  whether  they  will  place  all  of  higher  education  on 
a  stable  basis  which  will  make  for  a  greater  service.  To  allow 
anyone  to  use  State  institutions  of  higher  learning  for  any  private 
purposes  should  under  no  circumstances  be  tolerated.  It  is  an 
expensive  matter  and  no  State  which  is  bent  on  the  best  for  its 
citizens  can  afford  tampering  with  the  education  of  its  youth. 

The  remedy  is  clear.  On  the  one  hand  there  must  be  a  develop- 
ment of  public  opinion  which  is  greatly  interested  in  the  best  possible 
provision  for  higher  education  and  which  jealously  guards  against 
the  prostitution  of  such  provision  for  personal  or  political  advan- 
tage. No  substitute  can  take'  its  place.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
State  should  set  up  such  machinery  of  administration  and  control 
that  it  will  be  extremely  difficult  for  any  individual  or  group  of 
individuals  to  use  these  institutions  for  private  purposes. 

Long  experience  has  proved  that  the  board  of  seven  or  nine 
members  chosen  for  long  terms  with  alternating  appointments  makes 


140  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

for  the  most  satisfactory  service.  The  boards,  therefore,  should 
consist  of  seven  or  nine  members,  appointed  by  the  governor  with  the 
consent  of  the  Senate,  with  terms  of  office  of  seven  or  nine  years, 
so  arranged  that  not  more  than  three  appointments  are  made  in 
•a  biennmm  on  a  nine  member  board,  and  not  more  than  two  on  a 
seven  member  board.  Members  should  receive  no  pay  other  than 
expenses.  Public  spirited  men  of  intelligence  and  standing  are 
usually  willing  to  serve  on  such  boards  because  the  positions  are 
honored  and  respected. 

There  should  be  no  ex-officio  members  on  the  boards.  Such 
members  have  their  time  too  much  occupied  with  other  official 
duties  to  give  full  consideration  to  the  work  of  their  respective 
boards.  Then,  too,  ex-officio  membership  on  boards  tends  to  in- 
sert an  element  of  politics  which  is  to  be  avoided. 

3.     INTERNAL  ADMINISTRATION 

The  performance  of  the  administrative  function  in  a  college  or 
university  is  a  matter  of  much  importance.  It  is  the  business  of 
the  administrative  organization  to  keep  the  institution  running 
smoothly  and  to  make  possible  and  most  effective  the  real  business 
of  the  institution,  which  is  the  expansion  and  the  propagation  of 
knowledge. 

THE  PRESIDENCY. 

At  the  head  of  the  administration  of  each  institution  stands 
the  president,  the  direct  agent  of  the  board  of  control.  Upon 
him  depends  very  largely  the  plan  upon  which  the  institution 
operates.  It  falls  to  him  specifically  to  plan  for  the  future.  To 
a  very  marked  degree  the  faculty  is  the  result  of  his  ability  to 
find  competent  persons  and  to  secure  their  service.  He  must  be 
able  to  work  well  with  others,  to  command  their  respect  and  confi- 
dence, and  to  inspire  them  in  their  activity.  His  is  a  position 
which  can  be  filled  acceptably  only  by  a  leader,  one  who  is  recog- 
nized as  professionally  well  equipped,  who  has  the  highest  personal 
qualities,  and  who  can  organize  and  direct  others  well. 

All  of  this  means  that  only  competent  persons  should  be  chosen 
for  the  position,  and  it  is  little  short  of  a  betrayal  of  high  trust  to 
permit  such  extraneous  considerations  as  personal  or  political  sup- 
port in  any  way  to  have  consideration  in  the  choice.  A  further 
consideration  is  that  once  able  men  are  secured  for  high  positions, 
they  should  be  continued  in  service  for  long  periods. 

Two  important  reasons  may  be  assigned  for  this  recommenda- 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 


141 


tion:  First,  long  tenure  secures  for  the  State  a  continuous  policy 
without  which  unified  and  economical  administration  is  impossible. 
Men  who  know  they  are  to  serve  for  short  periods  only  are  likely  to 
plan  for  short  periods,  which  is  likely  to  result  in  impetuous  devel- 
opment if  any  at  all.  Second,  security  of  tenure  is  essential  to 
obtaining  the  services  of  the  kind  of  men  which  the  State  must 
have. 

With  the  exception  of  the  university  and  the  women's  college, 
the  educational  institutions  of  Oklahoma  have  unquestionably  suf- 
fered from  having  had  too  many  inexperienced  executives.  When 
executives  change  an  institution  is  likely  to  run  on  a  laissez  faire 
policy  until  the  new  incumbent  secures  a  mastery  of  the  situation. 
It  affords  a  golden  opportunity  for  the  various  departments  with- 
in the  institution  to  proceed  in  their  own  way.  Undoubtedly  some 
of  the  maladjustments  at  the  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College  have  occurred  in  this  way. 

Then,  too,  changing  executives  produces  periods  of  disturbance 
and  uncertainity  for  the  members  of  the  faculty  and  greatly  hinders 
them  in  their  important  duties.  It  is  therefore  clearly  the  solemn 
duty  of  those  who  are  in  authority  over  the  State  institutions 
of  higher  learning  to  see  to  it  that  changes  in  administrative  head- 
ships occur  only  for  clearly  justifiable  reasons  and  at  infrequent 
intervals  only.  In  no  other  way  can  the  highest  interests  of  the 
State  be  conserved. 

Table  15  presents  a  list  of  the  presidents  of  the  State  institu- 
tions, together  with  the  dates  of  their  terms  of  office. 

TABLE    15— NAMES    OF   PRESIDENTS    OF    OKLAHOMA    STATE    INSTI- 
TUTIONS OF  HIGHER  LEARNING  AND  DATES  OF  SERVICE. 


INSTITUTION 

NAME  OF  PRESIDENT 

DATE    OF    SERVICE 

University   of 
Oklahoma 
(Norman) 

David  Ross  Boyd 
Arthur  Grant  Evans 
Julian  C.  Monnet 
(Acting  President) 
Stratton  Duluth  Brooks 

1892—1908 
1908—1911 
1911—1912 

May    I,    1912— 

Oklahoma 
Agricultural 
and 
Mechanical 
College 
(Stillwater) 

R.  J.  Barker 
Major  Henry  E.  Alvord 
Edmund  E.  Murdaugh 
George  E.  Merrow 
J.  H.  Connell 
A.  C.  Scott 
L.  L.  Lewis 
(Acting  president) 
J.  W.  Cantwell 
James  Burnette  Eskridge 

June    25,    1891—  June    30,    1894 
July  1,   1894  —  January  2,   1895 
January  2',  1895  —  June  30,  1895 
July  1,  1895       —  June  30,  1899 
July  1,  1899        —  June  30,  1908 
July  1,  1908        —June  30,  1914 
July  1,  1914        —June  30,  1915 

July  1,  1915        —June  30,   1921 
July  1,  1921        — 

142 


PUBLIC   EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 


INSTITUTION 

NAME   OP  PRESIDENT 

DATE    OF    SERVICE 

Oklahoma 
College  for 
Women 
(Chickasha) 

H.  B.  Abernathy 
J.  Alexander  Moore 
J.  B.  Eskridge 
G.  W.  Austin 

1909—1911 
1911—1912 
1912—1914 
1914— 

East  Central 
State  Teachers 
College 
(Ada) 

Charles  W.  Briles 
James  Marcus  Gordon 
Adolph  Linscheid 

1909—1916 
1916—1920 

1920— 

Northwestern 
State  Teachers' 
College 
(Alva) 

C.  W.  Conway 
W.  L.  Ross 
Grant  B.  Grumbine 
J.  W.  Graves 
A.  S.  Faulkner 
J.  P.  Battenberg 

Sept    1906—  Jan.    1908 
Jan.     1908—  July     1910 
July    1910—  Sept.    1916 
Sept.  1916—  Sept.   1917 
Sept.   1917  —  June   1919 
June  1919— 

Southeastern 
State  Teachers 
College, 
(Durant) 

M.  E.  Moore 
E.  D.  Murdaugh 
W.  C.  Canterbury 
A.  'S.  Faulkner 
T.  D.  Brooks 
H.  G.  Bennett 

July    1,    1910—  Sept.  1,  1911 
Sept.    1,    1911—  July  1,  1914 
July    1,    1914—  Sept.   1,  1915 
Sept.  1,  1915—  June  1,  1916 
June   1,    1916—  June  1,   1913 
June  1,  1919— 

Central  State 
Teachers 
College 
(Edmond) 

Richard  Thatcher 
George  W.  Winans 
H.  W.  Williams 
E.  D.  Murdaugh 
F.  H.  Umholtz 
T.  R.  Butcher 
James  A.  McLauchlin 
Charles  Evans 
Grant  B.  Grumbine 
J.  W.  Graves 
John  G.  Mitchell 

1891—1893 
1893—1894 
1894—1895 
1895—1901 
1901—1906 
1906—1908 
1908—1911 
1911—1916 
1916—1917 
1917—1919 
1919— 

Northeastern 
'State  Teachers 
College 
(Tahlequah) 

A.  S.  Wyley 
D.  Frank  Redd 
Frank  E.  Buck 
W.  E.  Gill 
G.  W.  Gable 
W.  T.  Ford 

April  19—  July  1,  1909 
July,    1909—  July,  1911 
July    1911—  Nov.    1912 
Nov.    1912—  Dec.    1913 
Dec.    1914—  Aug.    1919 
Aug.  1,  1919— 

Southwestern 
State  Teachers 
College, 
(Weatherford) 

James  R,  Campbell 
John  F.  Sharp 
Ulysses  J.  Griffith 
James  B.  Eskridge 
Alfred  H.  Burris 

1901—1908 
1908—1911 
June,    1911  —  June,   1915 
June,    1915  —  June,  1921 
June,  1921  — 

Colored  Agri- 
cultural and 
Normal 
University 
(Langston) 

Inman  E.  Page 
I.  B.  McCutcheon 
J.  M.  Marquess 

1898—1915 
1915—1916 
1916— 

HIGHER    EDUCATION  143 


INSTITUTION  NAME  OF  PRESIDENT  DATE    OF    SERVICE 


Oklahoma 
School  of 
Mines 
(Wilburtcm) 

Dr.  Geo.  E.  Ladd 
E.  P.  Barrett 
J.  W.  Graves 
Lynn  Glover 
School  closed 
(Governors    veto) 
Mead  S.  Johnson 

December  1,  1908—  Oct.  14,  1912 
October  14,  1912—  June  30,  1913 
July    1,     1913—  June    30,     1915 
July     1,     1915r—  June    30,     1917 
July    1,     1917—  June    30,     1919 

July    1,    1919— 

Miami  School 
of  Mines 
(Miami) 

Lloyd  B.  Drake 
W.  O.  Cralle 

July     1,     1920—  June 
June     1,     1921— 

1,     192fl 

Panhandle 
Agricultural 
and  Mechan- 
ical College 
(Goodwell) 

S.  W.  Black 
J.  F.  Sharp 
G.  A.  Coffey 
A.  W.  Fanning 

Fall  1909—  Summer  1915 
Fall    1915—  May    1919 
June  1919—  July  1922 
August  1922  — 

In  several  institutions,  notably  in  the  Agrieulutral  and  Mechani- 
cal College,,  there  is  a  lack  of  adjustment  which  is  unjustifiable. 
Thus,  for  example,- in  the  latter  college  three  groups  are  engaged 
in  training  teachers  and  in  maintaining  practice  teaching  and  obser- 
vation which  confuses  the  whole  scheme  of  teacher  training.  The 
secondary  vocational  work  is  separate  from  the  other  secondary 
work  given  in  the  college.  The  extension  organization  under  the 
Smith-Lever  work  in  the  same  institution  is  not  correlated  with 
the  departments  of  instruction.  On  the  other  hand,  the  experi- 
ment station  at  the  same  institution  suffers  because  the  members 
of  the  staff  are  called  upon  for  so  much  teaching  that  the  work  of 
research  lags.  The  small  number  of  bulletins,  about  six  a  year, 
is  evidence  in  point. 

Some  clear  principle  of  organization  should  be  adopted  in  build- 
ing up  an  institution.  It  is  better  organization  to  have  a  depart- 
ment in  a  college  or  school  serve  other  schools  and  colleges  than  to 
have  each  school  or  college  develop  its  own  department  and  thus 
duplicate  similar  work  done  elsewhere  in  the  institution.  One  de- 
partment of  education  can  serve  all  colleges  in  a  large  institution. 
To  create  a  special  department  of  agricultural  education  with  its 
own  practice  teaching  is  to  duplicate  unwisely  when  there  is  a  school 
of  education  whose  primary  purpose  is  the  training  of  teachers. 

THE  FACULTIES. 

In  this  brief  report  only  a  few  of  the  problems  of  internal 
administration  can  be  stated.  One  group  of  problems  relate* 
to  the  faculty.  A  study  of  salaries  shows  that  the  salaries  of 
faculty  members  are  far  too  low  to  attract  the  kind  of  people 


144 


PUBLIC   EDUCATION   IN   OKLAHOMA 


who  are  needed  for  a  high  standard  of  work. 

At  present  the  twelve  month  salary  plan  prevails  in  most  of  the 
institutions.  This  works  a  grave  injustice  to  those  who  are  required 
to  teach  against  those  for  some  reason  or  other  have  no  students 
during  the  summer  session.  The  separation  of  the  regular  salaries 
from  those  for  the  summer  sessions  would  obviate  the  difficulty. 
Faculty  members  would  find  greater  interest  in  summer  school  work, 
and  directors  of  summer  schools  would  have  greater  freedom  of 
choice  in  their  summer  school  faculties  and  courses. 

It  is  also  apparent  that  many  faculty  members,  often  the  high- 
est paid,  are  Compelled  to  do  much  clerical  work  and  office  drudgery 
which  could  as  well  be  cared  for  by  clerical  and  stenographic  as- 
sistance. Undoubtedly,  this  situation  can  be  accounted  for  by  lack 
of  funds,  but  the  cost  would  not  be  excessive  and  the  resultant  in- 

TABLE    16.— NUMBER    OF   FACULTY    MEMBERS    (NOT    INCLUDING 
STUDENT    ASSISTANTS) 


Location  of 
Institutions 

1910-11 

1915-16 

1920-21 

1921-22' 

1922-23 

Norman    
Stillwater    
Chickasha    
Wilburton    
Miami   

73 
39 
20 
6 

103 
83 
24 
5 

151 
117 
43 
14 
5 

154 
122 
43 
16 

8 

161 
125 
44 
16 
9 

Ada    

16 

23 

24 

£4 

25 

Alva       .    . 

29 

27 

24 

26 

30 

Durant 

24 

18 

2'4 

22 

22 

Edmond    
Tahlequah   
Weatherford 
Langston   
Goodwell    

22 
32 

18 
5 

24 
20 
25 

9 

29 
22 
20 
24 
9 

30 

24 
21 
26 
15 

27 
21 
21 
26 
19 

Total   

284 

361 

506 

531 

546 

creased  efficiency  of  service  would  more  than  offset  the  added  cost. 
Another  factor  in  securing  competent  instructors  is  provision  for 
leaves  of  absence  and  for  a  pension  system. 

Table  16  shows  the  growth  in  number  of  members  of  the  facul- 
ties at  the  State  institutions,  and  Table  17  given  the  facts  concern- 
ing academic  training. 

UNCERTAINTY  OF  TENURE  A  SEVERE  HANDICAP. 

Finally,  in  the  institutions  other  than  the  university  and  the 
college  for  women  there  is  much  uncertainty  of  tenure  of  position, 
due  partly  to  the  annual  election  of  faculty  members.  The  numer- 
ous changes  which  occur  each  year  and  the  fact  that  a  large  proper, 
tion  of  faculty  members  now  serving  have  been  serving  a  brief  time 


HIGHER   EDUCATION 


145 


TABLE    17.— ACADEMIC    TRAINING    OF    THE    FACULTIES.* 


Location  of 
Institutions 

Number  of  Faculty  Members 

Total 

Having  the 
Doctor's 
degree 

Having  a 
professional 
degree 

Having  the 
Master's 
degree 

Having  the 
Baccalaure- 
ate degree 

Having 
no 
degree 

Norman    . 

148 
104 
43 
22 
23 
23 
33 
21 
24 
2'4 
16 
9 
12 

502 

31 
10 

2 

7 
3 

2 
1 

48 
30 
17 
6 

7 
5 

I 

8 
4 
1 
1 

50 
47 
16 
11 
13 
13 
23 
10 
10 
10 
5 
6 
7 

12 

14 
.       8 
5 
3 
5 
4 
2 
5 
10 
8 
1 
5 

Stillwater 

Chickasha 

Ada 

Alva 

Durant    

Edmond    

Tahlequah   

Weatherford  .... 
Langston 

Wilburton 

Miami 

Goodwell    
Total 

44 

13 

142 

221 

82 

*Not  including  student  assistants. 

only,  (See  Table  18),  are  evidence  in  point.  It  may  be  stated, 
however,  that  low  salaries  also  account  in  part  for  the  changes. 

The  constant  shifting  results  in  a  great  loss  of  loyalty  and  in 
a  lowered  morale.  The  remedy  lies  in  the  adoption  of  rules  govern- 
ing tenure.  Such  a  business-like  policy  would  eliminate  one  of  the 
factors  which  militates  against  the  growth  of  scholarly  spirit. 
Professors  and  associate  professors  should  hold  their  positions  per- 
manently on  merit  and  good  behavior,  while  assistant  professors 
might  well  be  appointed  for  three  year  periods,  and  instructors  for 
one  year  periods.  If  some  such  scheme  were  adopted  the  schools 
would  be  more  likely  to  stay  out  of  political  matters  and  be  less  in- 
terested in  the  results  of  elections,  and  what  is  still  more  important 
it  would  be  an  inducement  for  attracting  competent  men  to  the 
institutions  if  they  were  assured  of  permanency  of  position.  This 
point  should  be  emphasized.  Nothing  does  so  much  harm  to 
State  institutions  of  higher  learning  as  a  low  morale  among  the 
faculties. 

Especially  at  the  University  and  at  the  Agricultural  and  Me- 
chanical College  the  time  has  come  for  a  larger  recognition  of  the 
faculty  in  determined  educational  policy.  Faculty  members  now 
have  no  regularly  constituted  method  of  expressing  their  views 
on  such  matters.  The  organization  of  a  senate  in  each  of  those  in- 
stitutions, composed  of  all  faculty  members  who  hold  the  rank  of 
associate  professor  and  above,  is  suggested  as  a  legislative  body 
so  far  as  courses  of  study  and  student  affairs  are  concerned. 


146 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


TABLE  18.— YEARS  OF  SERVICE  AND  SALARIES  OF  MEMBERS  OF 
THE    FACULTIES.* 


j 

No. 

Average 

8. 

CLARIES 

Location  of 

of 

years  of 

Institution 

Ranks 

Per- 

service at 

Average 

Lowest 

High- 

sons 

institution 

est 

Deans  &  Dir. 

9 

17.77 

4755.55 

4000 

6000 

Professors 

33 

9.57 

3854.54 

3200 

4200 

Norman 

Assoc.  Prof. 

17 

5.7 

2835.29 

2800 

3000 

Asst.  Prof. 

39 

3.58 

2'393.84 

2200 

2800 

Instrustors 

38 

2.68 

1655.26 

1600 

1800 

Deans 

7 

2.85 

4057.14 

3300 

4500 

Professors 

29 

5.55 

3108.62 

2400 

3600 

ritillwater 

Assoc.  Profs. 

14 

5.28 

2610.71 

2250 

3150 

Asst.  Profs. 

25 

3.68 

2326.00 

1800 

3000 

Instructors 

28 

167 

1911.46 

1500 

2500 

Deans 

3 

4 

3334.16 

2702.50 

3300 

Professc/s 

15 

4.86 

2713.33 

2250 

3000 

Cfeickasha 

Assoc.  Prof. 

1 

1 

2000 

Asst.  Prof. 

1 

1 

1800 

Instructors 

21 

1.85, 

1742.85 

1600 

2200 

Professors 

13 

4.84 

2337.69 

1920 

2750 

Ada 

Asst.  Prof. 

1 

3 

1920 

Instructors 

7 

4.42 

1868.57 

1800 

1920 

Professors 

14 

6.78 

2128.57 

1700 

2500 

Assoc.  Prof. 

1 

20 

2100 

Alra 

Asst.  Prof. 

1 

13 

1750 

Instructors 

51 

5.6 

1630 

1600 

1700 

Professors 

9 

5.33 

2433.33 

2400 

2700 

Assoc.  Prof. 

1 

13 

2100 

Dvrant 

Asst.  Prof. 

3 

2 

2200 

1800 

2400 

Instructors 

6 

4 

1700 

1680 

1800 

Professors 

13 

8.23 

2500 

2000 

3000 

Assoc.  Prof. 

4 

4.75 

2075 

1800 

2400 

Bdmond 

Asst.  Prof. 

4 

5.75 

2025 

1800 

2400 

Instructors 

7 

3.57 

1835.71 

1550 

2200 

Professors 

13 

2.84 

2115.38 

1800 

2400 

TahleQuah 

Asst.  Prof. 

1 

1 

2000 

Instructors 

4 

1.75 

1800 

1800 

1800 

Professors 

12 

6.08 

2254.16 

1600 

3000 

ffeatherford 

Assoc.  Prof. 
Asst.  Prof. 

3 
1 

7 
3 

1826.33 
2000 

1680 

2'000 

Instructors 

4 

6.75 

1560 

1200 

1680 

Langston 

Total 

23 

2.71 

1470.56 

1125 

2000 

Wilburton 

Total 

15 

1.33 

2225.33 

1200 

2800 

Total, 

7 

2.14 

1785.71 

1500 

2100 

Miami 

(excluding 
deans) 

Deans 

1 

3 

3000 

Goodwell 

Total 

10 

2.5 

1824 

1375 

2160 

HIGHER   EDUCATION  147 

THE  BUDGET. 

The  internal  budgets  at  the  various  institutions  do  not  'seem 
to  be  well  developed.  Departments  frequently  do  not  know  how 
much  they  have  to  spend  and  consequently  are  hampered  in  plan- 
ning for  equipment  and  other  expenses.  The  institutional  budget 
is  a  very  important  matter,  especially  in  the  larger  institutions. 

The  president  of  each  institution  should  be  required  to  pre- 
pare annually  a  budget  which  shows  every  source  of  income.  On 
the  expenditure  side  it  should  present  the  expenditures  for  every 
division  and  department  of  the  institution,  the  amounts  allowed 
for  salaries,  for  equipment,  supplies,  incidentals,  etc.  The  executive 
should  watch  with  jealous  eye  the  increasing  cost  of  administration. 
At  least  once  each  month  the  business  office  should  present  to  the 
president  a  complete  statement  showing  receipts  from  all  sources  and 
the  expenditures  and  balances  for  all  departments.  Each  depart- 
ment should  have  a  copy  of  its  budget  for  the  year  at  least  two 
.  months  in  advance  of  the  opening  of  the  session. 

COORDINATION  OF  WORK. 

In  a  number  of  institutions  there  is  a  lack  of  coordination  of 
functions.  Thus  the  place  of  the  training  schools  in  the  teachers' 
colleges  seemingly  is  not  always  clear  and  understood.  Not  infre- 
quently secondary  and  college  students  are  found  in  the  same  classes. 
In  such  schools  as  have  secondary  students  these  students  should  be 
under  a  separate  organization  and  faculty,  and  the  secondary  school 
should  be  used  freely  for  teacher  training  purposes. 

THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  ADMINISTRATIVE  RESEARCH. 

In  large  institutions  some  regularly  organized  means  of  statis- 
tical and  analytical  study  of  the  work  and  progress  of  the  institution 
has  been  found  of  great  assistance  in  directing  its  affairs.  Such 
a  department  of  research  makes  possible  a  continuous  survey.  If 
well  conducted  it  can  render  a  most  valuable  assistance  to  the  presi- 
dent in  his  responsible  position  as  it  makes  it  possible  for  him  to  do 
his  work  in  the  light  of  full  and  objective  information.  Such  activ- 
ities as  the  administration  of  standard  intelligence  tests  and  ratings, 
cost  studies,  etc.,  can  well  come  under  a  department  of  research. 

In  view  of  the  conditions  existing  at  the  Agricultural  and  Me- 
chanical College  a  more  complete  survey  should  be  made  of  that 
institution. 


148  PUBLIC   EDUCATION   IN   OKLAHOMA 

III.     THE  TRAINING  OF  TEACHERS. 

One  of  the  most  important  functions  of  higher  education  in 
a  State  is  to  train  teachers  for  the  elementary  and  secondary  schools. 
At  present  there  are  approximately  17,000  teachers  in  the  State  of 
which  number  14,000  are  employed  in  elementary  grades  and  3,000 
in  secondary  grades. 

I.     PROVISION  FOR  TRAINING  ELEMENTARY  TEACHERS. 

The  number  of  elementary  teachers  increases  yearly  by  approxi- 
mately 500  due  to  increased  enrollments  in  the  elementary  schools. 
It  is  estimated  that  at  the  same  time  20  per  cent  of  the  teachers 
in  service  withdraw  thus  requiring  2,800  teachers  annually  to  fill 
the  vacancies  created  by  the  withdrawals.  According  to  these 
estimtes  at  least  3,300  new  teachers  must  be  secured  each  year  to 
maintain  a  full  staff  in  the  public  elementary  schools. 

For  the  training  of  elementary  teachers  two  agencies  have 
been  established,  of  which  the  first  was  the  State  normal  schools 
now  known  as  the  State  teachers'  colleges.  The  institutions  which 
bear  this  designation,  six  in  all,  offer  a  two  year  course,  upon  the 
completion  of  which  the  student  receives  a  diploma  which  is  a 
State  life  certificate  valid  in  all  the  public  schools  of  the  State.  Dur- 
ing the  year  1921-22  the  State  teachers'  colleges  graduated  from 
their  two  year  courses  the  following: 

1.  Central  175  graduates 

2.  East    Central    123  graduates 

3.  Southeastern 123  graduates 

4.  Southwestern   114  graduates 

5.  Northwestern 94  graduates 

6.  Northeastern  79  graduates 


TOTAL 708  graduates. 

A  second  agency  for  training  elementary  teachers  is  the  nor- 
mal training  course  in  district  agricultural  schools  and  in  fully  ac- 
credited high  schools  under  an  act  approved  in  1915.  The  course 
constitutes  a  part  of  the  four  year  course  required  for  graduation 
from  such  schools.  It  is  elective  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  grades. 
Upon  completion  of  the  course  a  student  is  granted  a  two-year  State 


HIGHER   EDUCATION  149 

certificate.  At  the  close  of  the  school  year  1921-22,  68  high  schools 
had  been  approved  for  the  course.  During  the  year  629  certificates 
were  issued  to  graduates.  1. 

1.     This  number  does  not  include  those  who  graduated  from  similar  courses 
of  the  State  teachers'  colleges.     On  these  no  data  are  at  hand. 

In  addition  to  the  training  agencies  above  mentioned  some  ele- 
mentary teachers  come  from  the  State  university,  the  agricultural 
and  mechanical  college,  the  college  for  women,  and  some  of  the 
private  institutions  of  higher  learning.  Undoubtedly  a  number 
also  come  from  outside  the  State,  the  State  being  new  and  there 
being  a  considerable  amount  of  immigration.  It  is  doubtful,  how- 
ever., whether  the  number  from  these  sources  is  of  great  significance. 


2.     PROVISION  FOR  TRAINING  SECONDARY  TEACHERS. 

Approximately  3,000  high  school  teachers  are  employed  in 
Oklahoma.  Careful  estimates  are  to  the  effect  that  to  replace  those 
who  leave  the  service  and  to  provide  for  new  positions  which. are 
established  about  600  new  high  school  teachers  are  required  each 
year. 

It  is  also  estimated  that  at  the  present  time  the  State  institu- 
tions which  prepare  high  school  teachers  graduate  annually  be- 
tween 150  and  200  students  with  professional  training  including 
practice  teaching  in  secondary  subjects.  The  private  higher  edu- 
cational institutions  supply  a  few  such  teachers  and  some  are  drawn 
from  other  States.  The  remaining  number  of  new  high  school 
teachers  are  recruits  who  have  some  college  work  or  who  may  be 
college  graduates  but  who  have  no  adequate  professional  training. 

The  time  has  come  for  the  State  to  provide  and  require  better 
training  for  its  teachers.  It  is  clear  from  the  discussion  proceeding 
that  a  large  proportion  of  Oklahoma's  teachers  begin  work  with 
nothing  that  even  approaches  adequate  modern  training.  It  is  a  con- 
dition that  will  change  very  slowly  unless  the  State  takes  steps  to 
remedy  it  by  setting  higher  standards.  As  long  as  the  State  permits 
those  who  are  incompetent  to  preside  in  its  school  rooms  it  will  have 
such  incompetents.  They  are  a  menace  to  educational  progress. 
Most  of  them  are  to  be  found  in  the  rural  schools  which  tend 
to  become  their  places  of  refuge.  To  raise  educational  standards 
only  properly  trained  teachers  can  be  permitted  in  the  school  rooms 


150  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

of  the  State.     When  such  requirements  are  set  up  the  State  will 
have  to  provide  more  and  better  facilities  to  train  its  teachers. 

3.     TEACHER  TRAINING  CURRICULA. 

Teacher  training  classes  in  the  high  schools  as  now  organized 
should  be  regarded  as  at  best  but  a  temporary  expedient,  and  should 
now  be  abandoned.  If  it  is  deemed  necessary  to  provide  such 
local  teacher  training  it  should  be  organized  as  a  post-graduate 
course  of  one  year  following  high  school  graduation.  This  would 
insure  more  maturity  of  mind  and  more  serious  purpose  on  the  part 
of  the  students  who  undertake  the  course.  It  would  also  tend  to 
keep  out  of  the  course  such  as  do  not  fully  intend  to  use  the  train- 
ing in  future  service  for  the  State. 

The  training  of  teachers  in  the  State  teacher's  colleges  is  in 
need  of  a  clear  objective.  These  institutions  until  1920  gave  only 
two  year  courses  which  were  for  training  elementary  teachers.  In 
that  year  two  years  of  college  work  were  added  to  the  curriculum 
and  the  institutions  were  empowered  to  grant  the  baccalaureate 
degree.  This  change  seems  to  have  been  unfortunate.  Insti- 
tutions which  did  not  have  adequate  facilities  to  give  a  strong  two 
year  course  were  permitted  to  dissipate  their  energies  by  offering 
work  which  was  clearly  out  of  their  province  at  the  time. 

The  courses  offered  at  present  by  the  State  teachers'  colleges 
and  leading  to  a  life  certificate  are  as  follows : 

Rural  teachers'  course — two  years. 

Primary  teachers'  course — two  years. 

Intermediate  grade  teachers'  course — two  years. 

Home  economics  course — two  years. 

Manual  training  teachers '  course — two  years. 

Public  school  music  course — two  years. 

Drawing  teachers'  course — two  years. 

Junior  high  school  teachers'  course — two  years. 

College  course  for  senior  high  school  teachers — four  years. 

•Courses  for  special  teachers  and  supervisors  in  high  school — • 
four  years. 

a.  Industrial  arts. 

b.  Domestic  science. 

c.  History. 

d.  English. 

e.  Biology. 

f.  Physical  sciences. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  15,1 

g.     Mathematics. 

h.     Economics. 

i.     Foreign  languages. 

j.     Professional  training. 

k.     Agriculture. 

A  student  may  secure  a  life  certificate  on  the  completion  of 
two  years  of  the  college  course  for  senior  high  school  teachers  pro- 
vided he  has  had  fifteen  semester  hours  of  work  in  education. 
Precisely  at  this  point  it  becomes  evident  that  there  is  no  real  differ- 
entiation between  training  elementary  teachers  and  training  high 
school  teachers.  In  fact  the  investigators  were  repeatedly  inform- 
ed that  it  is  the  common  procedure  for  students  to  receive  the  State 
life  certificate  at  the  close  of  two  years  and  teach  and  later  to 
come  back  to  complete  the  work  for  the  degree. 

The  scheme  is  unfortunate  for  two  reasons:  First,  students 
who  have  taken  the  first  two  years  of  the  four  year  course  as  out- 
lined are  not  professionally  trained  for  elementary  school  work; 
Second,  students  who  take  the  two  year  diploma  courses  for  elemen- 
tary teacher  training,  and  later  return  for  the  third  and  fourth 
years,  receive  a  four  year  course  which  in  reality  consists  of  two 
two  year  courses  and  not  at  all  of  a  real  four  year  college  course. 

Another  compelling  reason  against  the  preparation  of  high 
school  teachers  in  the  State  teachers'  colleges  is  the  fact  that  the 
elementary  field  is  thereby  neglected.  Other  institutions  in  the 
State  prepare  high  school  teachers  but  no  other  train  elementary 
teachers  except  the  high  schools. 

TRAINING  SCHOOL  FACILITIES  INADEQUATE. 

One  of  the  weakest  features  of  the  teacher  training  work  at  the 
teachers'  colleges  is  the  use  made  of  the  training  school.  These 
are  made  up  only  of  the  elementary  grades  and  are  limited  to  120 
children,  and  there  are  only  three  or  four  critic  teachers.  Little 
or  no  practice  teaching  in  secondary  grades  is  possible  for  those 
who  are  preparing  to  teach  in  high  schools  and  that  in  spite  of  the 
fact  that  all  of  the  teachers'  colleges  have  large  numbers  of  sec- 
ondary student  enrolled.  (See  Table  19).  In  most  of  the  col- 
leges there  seems  to  be  no  close  correlation  between  the  theory 
of  education  and  the  practice  teaching. 


152 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


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HIOHER  EDUCATION  153 

The  training  of  high  school  teachers  as  carried  on  in  the 
State  university,  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  college,  and  the 
college  for  women,  is  also  seriously  handicapped  because  of  in- 
adequate training  schools.  On  the  side  of  the  theory  and  subject 
matter  courses,  these  latter  institutions  are,  however,  far  superior 
to  the  State  teachers'  colleges  in  the  training  of  high  school  teach- 
ers. 

FUNCTION  OF  STATE  TEACHERS  COLLEGES     SHOULD  BE 

DEFINED. 

In  view  of  the  present  situation  in  Oklahoma  the  principal 
function  of  the  State  teachers'  colleges  should  be  the  training  of 
elementary  teachers.  At  the  earliest  possible  time  adequate  facili- 
ties in  faculty,  training  schools,  equipment  and  buildings,  should 
be  provided  at  the  teachers'  colleges  for  this  service.  Each  col- 
lege should  be  provided  at  once  with  a  commodious  building  espec- 
ially designed  for  training  school  purposes  and  adequate  to  house 
400  to  500  children  in  eight  or  nine  grades. 

Each  training  school  should  ultimately  have  a  staff  of  ten 
critic  teachers  all  of  whom  are  especially  trained  for  their  work  and 
experienced  in  teaching.  Each  training  school  should  next  year 
provide  one  critic  teacher  for  every  10  students  who  do  practice 
teaching,  and  the  training  school  should  enroll  four  pupils  for  each 
student  who  takes  practice  teaching.  This  standard  is  generally 
accepted  as  the  minimum  for  a  first  class  teachers'  college  which 
requires  180  hours  of  practice  teaching  fromj  each  student  who 
graduates.  If,  as  an  extreme  measure,  the  amount  of  practice 
teaching  should  be  reduced  to  90  hours  twice  as  many  student  teach- 
ers could  be  provided  for.  In  no  case  at  present  are  the  train- 
ing facilities  up  to  this  minimum  standard. 

The  training  school  must  receive  much  greater  attention  if 
the  prospective  teachers  are  to  be  properly  trained.  Adequate 
practice  teaching  is  fundamental  to  any  good  teacher  training,  as 
fundamental  as  is  laboratory  work  in  science  or  clinical  work  in 
medicine.  There  can  be  no  substitute  for  it  and  none  should  be 
offered. 

In  order  to  guarantee  a  sufficient  training  school  at  each  teach- 
ers' college,  the  school  districts  in  which  such  colleges  are  located 
should  be  by  law  put  in  a  special  class  and  governed  by  such  laws 
as  may  apply  to  that  particular  class  of  districts.  The  schools  in 
such  districts  should  be  under  the  control  and  management  of  the 


154  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

teacher  training  department  of  the  teachers'  college  located  in  the 
district,  and  the  districts  should  by  law  be  required  to  contribute 
annually  a  certain  specified  amount  of  money  toward  the  educa- 
tion of  their  children. 

With  the  development  of  the  program  recommended  elsewhere 
for  State  aid  to  high  schools,  the  secondary  grades  at  the  State 
teachers'  colleges  should  be  discontinued,  one  year  at  a  time.  The 
need  for  such  training  is  no  longer  apparent.  Under  the  high 
school  transfer  law  it  is  possible  for  children  to  receive  a  high  school 
training  in  a  good  high  school  even  though  there  are  no  such  schools 
in  their  own  immediate  localities.  Under  the-  law  the  several 
localities  must  pay  for  the  education  of  the  children,  while  if  second- 
ary education  is  provided  in  State  institutions  those  localities  find 
it  possible  to  throw  their  responsibility  upon  the  State,  as  the  high 
school  transfer  law  does  not  apply  to  children  of  secondary  grade 
in  the  State  teachers'  colleges. 

The  secondary  work  is  no  longer  an  essential  part  of  teacher 
training.  If  the  earlier  recommendation,  pertaining  to  the  normal 
training  courses  in  high  schools,  be  carried  out,  there  is  no  justifi- 
cation whatever  for  continuing  the  high  school  work  at  the  State 
teachers'  colleges. 

The  State  should  depend  on  the  university,  the  agricultural  and 
mechanical  college,  the  college  for  women,  and  the  privately  con- 
trolled colleges  for  its  supply  of  secondary  school  teachers.  Ade- 
quate provision  should  be  made  at  the  State  institutions  in  faculty, 
training  schools,  and  equipment,  to  supply  600  secondary  school 
teachers  during  the  year  1923-24,  and  this  should  be  increased  an- 
nually according  to  the  demand. 

Where  secondary  teachers  are  trained  there  should  be  a  train- 
ing school  of  high  school  students  fully  available  for  practice  teach- 
ing and  enrolling  a  sufficient  number  of  pupils  so  that  there  are 
at  least  four  pupils  for  every  student  doing  practice  teaching. 
In  no  case  should  there  be  more  than  12  student  teachers  to  one 
critic  teacher.  The  practice  teaching  should  be  an  essential  part 
of  the  teacher  training  curriculum  and  it  should  be  closely  cor- 
related with  the  theory  courses. 

At  the  present  time  the  University,  the  Agricultural  and  Me- 
chanical College,  and  the  Women's  College  are  fairly  well  equipped 
to  prepare  high  school  teachers,  but  in  every  case  the  training 
school  should  be  greatly  enlarged,  and  developed  as  a  more  typical 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  155 

high  school  for  practice  teaching  and  less  as  a  preparatory  school. 
At  the  University  a  building  should  be  erected  for  the  training 
school.  At  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  all  of  the 
secondary  work  in  the  institution  should  be  brought  together  and 
organized  under  one  head,  and  it  should  be  used  for  training  pur- 
poses. At  the  college  for  women  provision  for  a  training  school 
is  somewhat  difficult  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  college  is  too  far 
from  town.  It  may  consequently  be  necessary  to  maintain  a  girls' 
academy  as  a  training  school.  In  such  case  its  purposes  should  be 
clearly  stated,  and  the  numbers  accepted  should  be  limited  to  the 
needs  of  the  training  school. 

4.     TRAINING    SECONDARY    TEACHERS    AT    THE     STATE 
TEACHERS'  COLLEGES. 

For  various  reasons,  stated  above,  it  is  recommended  that  the 
preparation  of  high  school  teachers  be  discontinued  at  the  State 
teachers'  colleges.  The  alternative  to  such  discontinuance  of  the 
work  is  to  bring  it  up  to  standard  and  so  to  organize  it  that  it  will 
not  detract  from  the  preparation  of  elementary  teachers. 

It  seems  quite  clear  that  when  the  two  types  of  training  are 
offered  in  the  same  institution,  separate  and  distinct  curricula 
should  be  organized  for  the  two  types  of  work,  that  these  curricula 
should  be  under  separate  staffs  which  are  separately  organized, 
and  that  distinct  forms  of  scientific  equipment  should  be  provided 
for  the  two  purposes  intended. 

Such  of  the  teachers'  colleges  as  are  to  continue  the  courses 
for  secondary  teacher  preparation  should  have  staffs  of  at  least  eight 
well  trained  faculty  members  charged  with  the  responsibility  of 
offering  standard  courses  covering  four  years  of  work  in  the  var- 
ious subjects  of  the  curricula,  and  organized  separately  under 
a  dean  who  is  responsible  for  the  students  in  this  section.  All 
of  the  staff  should  have  done  graduate  work  in  a  recognized  grad- 
uate school,  an  amount  equal  to  that  required  for  the  master's  degree, 
and  a  number  should  hold  doctors'  degrees. 

Transfer  of  students  from  one  type  of  course  to  the  other, 
that  is,  from  elementary  to  secondary  or  vice  versa,  should  be  pos- 
sibe  only  by  doing  all  of  the  work  in  the  course  to  which  the  trans- 
fer is  made.  Fully  adequate  equipment  in  chemistry,  physics, 
zoology,  and  botany  should  be  provided  for  the  four  year  courses. 

Under  the  above  alternative  for  the  State  teachers'  colleges, 
a  training  school  should  be  provided  for  each  college  enrolling  from 


156  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

100  to  125  pupils  of  high  school  age  (14  to  19  years).  This  should 
be  separately  organized  under  a  principal  and  it  should  have  its 
distinct  staff  of  critic  teachers.  All  high  school  students  in  the 
teachers'  colleges  above  those  needed  for  training  purposes  should 
be  eliminated. 

The  best  judgment  available  does  not  approve  offering  the 
four  year  courses  at  the  teachers'  colleges  at  present,  but,  in  any 
event  such  courses  should  not  be  offered  with  inadequate  faculties, 
to  the  serious  disadvantage  of  all  students.  It  certainly  is  clear 
that  the  first  responsibility  of  those  institutions  is  to  train  teachers 
for  the  elementary  schools  of  the  State.  No  task  is  more  import- 
ant or  dignified,  and  none  carries  with  it  a  greater  responsibility. 
Very  few  if  any  of  the  schools  now  meet  this  need  fully.  It  is  the 
great  neglected  field  and  it  promises  to  continue  thus  if  the  teachers' 
colleges  shirk  their  plain  duty.  If  any  of  the  teachers'  colleges 
reach  the  point  where  they  are  fully  staffed  and  equipped  credit- 
ably to  train  all  those  who  apply  for  the  training  of  elementary 
teachers,  and  can  in  addition  provide  a  separate  staff  and  sufficient 
equipment  to  train  secondary  school  teachers,  such  service  will  be 
welcome  and  heartily  approved. 

5.     TRAINING  SPECIAL  TEACHERS. 

The  preparation  of  special  teachers  deserves  some  attention. 
While  there  should  be  instruction  in  music  and  industrial  arts 
for  grade  teachers  at  .the  teachers'  colleges,  and  while  it  is  desirable 
that  home  economics  be  taught  as  an  elective  in  those  institutions, 
it  seems  of  doubtful  wisdom  to  offer  courses  to  prepare  special 
teachers  in  those  subjects.  With  strong  departments  in  music  and 
home  economics  at  the  university,  the  agricultural  and  mechanical 
college,  and  the  women's  college,  and  a  strong  course  in  industrial 
arts  at  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  college,  these  institutions 
should  be  able  to  prepare  a  sufficient  number  of  special  teachers 
of  the  subjects  named.  If  it  is  found  necessary  to  train  one  or  more 
of  these  types  of  special  teachers  at  the  teachers'  colleges  one 
such  college  should  be  selected,  properly  equipped,  and  provided 
with  an  adequate  staff  to  carry  the  work.  In  such  case  the  Central 
State  Teachers'  College  might  well  continue  its  work  in  manual 
training,  which  it  is  doing  quite  creditably  at  present. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  157 

IV.     THE  EDUCATION  OF  WOMEN. 
1.     INTRODUCTION. 

In  numerous  ways  Oklahoma  has  recognized  her  higher  edu- 
cation obligations  to  the  women  of  the  State.  From  the  early 
territorial  days  the  university  and  the  Agricultural  and  Mechani- 
cal ^College  and  the  State  normal  schools  have  been  coeducational. 
In  keeping  with  educational  customs  in  some  States  a  separate  in- 
stitution for  women  was  also  established.  Thus  today  a  woman 
in  Oklahoma  may  choose  to  pursue  her  higher  education  in  any 
one  of  the  higher  institutions  of  learning  and  she  may  pursue  any 
course  or  curriculum- 
Confusion  of  thought  in  regard  to  the  education  of  women  has 
long  existed.  Frequently  certain  fallacious  premises  have  been 
assumed,  one  of  which  is  that  the  careers  of  educated  men  and  of 
educated  women  are  identical,  and  another  of  which  is  that  differ- 
entiation of  curricula  for  women  implies  an  intellectual  difference 
or  an  intellectual  inferiority.  Both  of  these  assumptions  are 
untenable. 

A  more  satisfactory  solution  of  the  problems  of  education  for 
women  can  be  evolved  if  certain  facts  are  recognized,  some  of 
which  are  as  follows :  The  majority  of  educated  women  teach  for 
a  few  years;  a  few  women  enter  and  successfully  practice  the 
professions  of  law  and  medicine ;  many  women  enter  some  phase  of 
business  although  but  few  remain  permanently  therein;  increased 
opportunities  are  being  opened  to  women  in  the  lines  of  business  and 
the  professions  which  have  evolved  from  the  household  activities 
of  previous  generations;  almost  all  women  become  household  ad- 
ministrators. 

Furthermore,  women's  new  civic  interests  and  responsibilities 
occasion  new  educational  demands. 

Upon  such  a  basis  of  fact  the  conclusion  is  justified  that  while 
the  education  provided  for  women  should  be  as  thorough  and  as 
broad  as  that  for  men,  educational  authorities  should  take  cog- 
nizance of  the  fact  that  differentation  based  on  the  probable  later 
use  of  the  training  is  essential  if  the  highest  service  is  to  be  rendered 
to  the  State. 

2.     DEANS  OF  WOMEN. 

With  the  acceptance  of  women  students  in  educational  insti- 
tutions certain  special  obligations  are  assumed.  The  physical  and 
social  welfare  of  women  is  of  vital  concern  to  the  State.  Evil 
as  it  is  for  men  to  be  badly  housed  and;  badly  fed  and  undirected 
in  their  social  life,  to  the  State  it  is  far  more  perilous  that  its 


158  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

young  womanhood  should  be  endangered.  Elsewhere  in  this  report 
attention  is  given  to  the  physical  care  of  students,  but  it  may  be 
emphasized  that  unless  an  education  institution  can  go  further 
than  merely  to  provide  intellectual  guidance  for  its  women  students 
it  had  best  withdraw  from  the  field  of  education  for  women. 

A  dean  or  director  of  women  should  be  placed  in  each  edufca- 
tional  institution,  and  she  should  have  such  assistance  and  cooper- 
ation from  other  members  of  the  faculty  as  will  enable  her  to  as- 
sure to  all  women  satisfactory  social  conditions.  Such  a  dean 
should  have  high  qualifications  and  should  be  adequately  compen- 
sated. In  the  State  teachers'  colleges  a  dean  of  women  may  well 
do  a  small  amount  of  teaching  but  due  consideration  should  be  given 
to  her  administrative  duties.  At  the  time  of  this  survey  the  type 
of  organization  for  the  physical  and  social  welfare  of  the  young 
women  of  Chickasha  was  excellent  and  it  afforded  an  opportunity 
for  a  number  of  members  of  the  teaching  staff  to  make  a  contribution 
to  those  phases  of  the  students'  life. 

The  following  statement  is  made  concerning  the  university : 

"The  office  of  dean  of  women  was  created  in  the  university 
in  1908;  was  changed  to  advisor  of  women  in  1912;  was  dropped 
in  1915;  and  was  reestablished  in  1918.  The  function  of  the  dean 
of  women  is  to  act  as  counselor  and  advisor  for  women  students, 
and  to  promote  the  interests  of  such  students  in  the  university." 

With  1100  women  at  the  university,  and  with  no  State-owned 
housing  facilities,  the  problems  to  be  handled  by  the  dean  of  women 
are  many  and  various.  Investigations  seems  to  indicate  that 
some  members  of  the  university  staff  do  not  appreciate  the  ques- 
tions involved,,  and  that  some  still  hold  the  old  viewpoint  that  a 
faculty  committee  with  disciplinary  powers  is  adequate  to  care  for 
the  situation. 

In  so  large  an  institution  as  the  university  there  should  be  not 
only  a  dean  of  women  but  assistants  to  care  for  the  interests  of 
the  students.  Such  an  office  entails  oversight  of  all  housing  con- 
ditions for  women  students,  guidance  and  chaperonage  for  all 
social  activities,  authority  in  scheduling  students'  courses  in  so  far 
as  this  injuriously  affects  the  health  of  women  students,  provision 
for  vocational  advice,  and  the  formation  of  many  relationships 
with  faculty  families  and  local  women  which  benefit  the  women 
students.  What  has  been  said  of  the  function  of  a  dean  of  women 
at  the  State  university  may  likewise  be  said  of  a  dean  of  women  at 
the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College. 


HIOHER  EDUCATION  159 

3.     HOME  ECONOMICS  EDUCATION. 

Home  economics  instruction  is  only  one  factor  in  the  liberal 
education  of  women  but  it  is  a  very  important  one  inasmuch  as 
home  economics  and  the  basic  physical,  biological,  and  social 
sciences  upon  which  it  rests  compose  the  group  of  subjects  which 
afford  excellent  preparation  for  intelligent  participation  in  civic 
and  community  affairs.  This  group  of  subjects  likewise  prepares 
directly  for  the  intelligent  discharge  of  the  responsibilities  incident 
to  marriage.  Thus  far  the  home  economics  curricula  in  the  State 
higher  educational  institutions  have  been  formulated  principally 
to  prepare  teachers. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  AT  THE  UNIVERSITY. 

Of  the  1100  women  students  at  the  university,  only  130  are 
taking  home  economics  courses.  Of  the  13  candidates  for  degrees 
in  home  economics,  eight  are  taking  a  curriculum  distinctly  and 
narrowly  planned  to  prepare  teachers  of  vocational  home  econom- 
ics. This  is  a  regrettable  condition,  since  all  university  women 
should  find  in  the  home  economics  department  instruction  of  vital 
importance  to  them. 

The  objectives  of  home  economics  instruction  in  the  university 
should  be  three :  First,  it  should  make  a  definite  contribution  to 
the  general  and  cultural  education  of  a  maximum  number  of  women 
students  in  the  institution.  To  this  end  special  courses  differen- 
tiated from  those  in  the  regular  home  economics  curriculum  should 
be  offered.  Second,  there  should  be  a  home  economics  curriculum 
for  the  preparation  of  high  school  teachers.  Such  a  curriculum 
should  not  over-emphasize  the  technical  work  to  the  exclusion  of 
general  cultural  studies.  Third,  special  curricula  should  be  out- 
lined for  the  training  of  dietifions  for  hospital,  institutional,  com- 
mercial, and  public  school  positions.  The  university  is  in  a  stragetic 
position  for  the  emphasis  of  this  training  owing  to  its  medical  school 
and  the  nurse  training  course. 

Three  additional  recommendations  may  be  made :  First,  the 
university  home  economics  curricula  should  be  based  on  at  least  one 
.full  year  of  high  school  home  economics.  Second,  the  curriculum 
leading  to  the  bachelor's  degree  in  home  economics  should  be 
broadened.  Third,  no  home  economics  of  great  value  can  be  given 
at  the  university  until  rooms,  equipment,  and  teaching  staff  are  pro- 
vided. A  cafeteria  is  an  essential  unit  of  a  good  department. 


160  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

HOME     ECONOMICS  AT   THE   AGRICULTURAL     AND     ME- 
CHANICAL COLLEGE. 

A  large  majority  of  the  young  women  students  in  the  college 
are  taking  some  courses  in  home  economics  as  follows: 

302  women  are  working  for  degrees  in  home  economics. 
25  women  are  entered  as  special  students  in  home  economics. 

125  women  from  the  other  schools  of  the  college  are  electing 

courses  in  home  economics. 

16  women  are  in  secondary  courses  in  home  economics. 
30  women  are  taking  vocational  home  economics  curricula. 

Thus,  of  the  618  girls  registered  in  the  college,  498  are  receiv- 
ing instruction  in  home  economics. 

There  are  several  major  functions  of  home  economics  in  the 
college :  First,  careful  attention  must  be  given  to  prepare  teachers 
of  high  school  home  economics.  Second,  there  should  be  curricula 
to  prepare  county  home  demonstration  agents  of  which  there  are 
46  in  the  State.  Third,  electives  not  a  part  of  the  home  economics 
curricula  must  be  available  for  women  students  not  majoring  in 
home  economics.  All  of  these  important  functions  should  be  fully 
recognized  in  home  economics  instruction. 

The  college  cafeteria  should  be  under  the  direction  of  the 
home  economics  department.  Such  control  would  result  in  food 
of  good  quality;  costs  would  be  kept  down;  and  the  home  econom- 
ics students  would  be  provided  with  a  most  necessary  laboratory 
for  experience  in  quantity  food  preparation. 

The  practice  house  at  an  agricultural  and  mechanical  college 
should  be  a  model  rural  residence  with  sufficient  ground  and  suit- 
able surroundings  to  make  of  it  an  interesting  homestead.  The 
present  practice  house  is  a  mere  shack  and  unsuitable  for  the  use 
to  which  it  is  now  assigned. 

Finally,  the  present  organization  of  home  economics  is  faulty. 
All  resident  teaching,  all  correspondence  courses,  and  all  extension 
teaching  should  be  under  one  single  division.  To  maintain  several 
departments  dealing  with  the  same  subject  matter  is  unwise. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  AT  THE  OKLAHOMA  WOMEN'S  COLLEGE. 
At  the  college  at  Chickasha  one  year  of  home  economics  is  re- 
quired of  every  student.  This  is  a  recognition  of  the  essential 
differentiation  in  women's  education  not  elsewhere  accorded  in  the 
State  of  Oklahoma.  Such  a  requirement — if  the  courses  thus  re- 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  161 

quired  are  of  the  proper  type — ensures  a  fundamental  knowledge 
of  household  administration  to  every  girl,  and  in  addition  aids  in 
preparing  a  large  number  of  teachers  who  will  be  able  to  teach 
some  home  economics  in  connection  with  other  subjects  when  em- 
ployed in  the  smaller  high  schools  of  the  State. 

The  educational  atmosphere  at  the  Women's  College  at  Chick- 
asha  is  conducive  to  the  maintenance  of  excellent  instruction  in 
home  economics,  but  the  material  surroundings  both  for  this  sub- 
ject and  the  basic  sciences  are  far  from  being  satisfactory.  A 
special  building  for  science  teaching  and  home  economics  education 
is  greatly  needed. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  IN  THE  STATE  TEACHEES'  COLLEGES. 
Home  economics  in  the  teachers'  colleges  should  serve  two  defin- 
ite purposes,  the  primary  of  which  is  to  furnish  such  information  and 
skill  as  will  prepare  the  teacher  in  an  undepartmentalized  school 
to  fulfill  the  legal  requirement  that  home  economics  be  taught  to 
the  seventh  and  eighth  grade  girls  in  the  State.  Since  the  hot 
lunch  is  one  of  the  best  means  of  introducing  home  economics  in 
the  undepartmentalized  school,  each  teachers'  college  should  be 
equipped  to  serve  school  lunches  under  the  direction  of  the  home 
economics  department. 

These  institutions  at  present  are  almost  entirely  neglecting  the 
service  due  the  undepartmentalized  school  and  are  giving  all  .their 
energy  to  maintaining  four  year  courses  for  the  preparation  of 
high  school  teachers,  a  task  for  which  they  are  unprepared.  The 
preparation  of  high  school  teachers  necessitates  strong  departments 
of  physical,  biological,  and  social  science  if  the  curricula  are  to 
be  comprehensive  and  adequate. 

A  secondary  purpose  of  home  economics  in  teachers'  colleges  is 
to  give  such  elective  instruction  as  will  assist  the  teacher  to  secure 
for  herself  the  maximum  physical  health  and  well-being  during  her 
years  of  service. 

Stress  has  been  laid  in  the  preceding  pages  upon  home  econom- 
ics education  not  because  it  is  the  chief  topic  of  importance  in  the 
education  of  women  but  because  it  is  the  one  distinctive  phase  of 
educaton  not  open  to  both  men  and  women,  and  also  because  it  is 
a  subject  in  which  the  State  requires  so  many  specially  prepared 
teachers,  home  demonstration  agents,  and  women  qualified  for 

commercial  positions. 

s.  s.  6 


162  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

V.     SPECIAL  PHASES  OF  HIGHER  EDUCATION 

The  following  paragraphs  deal  with  several  functions  and 
phases  of  higher  education  to  which  it  is  desired  to  give  some 
special  attention. 

1.     ENGINEERING. 

Work  in  engineering  is  now  offered  in  three  State  institutions, 
not  including  the  Miami  School  of  Mines  which  offers  the  first  two 
years  of  four  year  curricula  in  mining  engineering,  civil  engineer- 
ing and  engineering  geology.  In  1904  the  university  organized  a 
school  of  applied  science  and  the  school  of  mines,  which  was  in 
1909  reorganized  as  the  college  of  engineering.  Instruction  in 
engineering  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  began 
early  with  work  in  mechanical  engineering,  in  which  the  first  class 
was  graduated  in  1902.  By  later  additions  and  reorganizations 
there  has  been  developed  a  college  of  engineering.  Instruction  in 
engineering  is  also  offered  at  the  Oklahoma  School  of  Mines  at 
Wilburton.  The  following  curricula  are  given : 

At  the  University : 

Metallurgical  chemistry  4  years 

Sanitary  Chemistry  4  yeras 

Petroleum  technology  4  years 

Civil  engineering  4  years 

Electrical  engineering  4  years 

Mechanical  engineering 4  years 

Engineering  geology 4  years 

Mining  geology  4  years 

Manual  training 2  years 

At  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College: 

Chemical  engineering  4  years 

Civil  engineering  * 4  years 

Electrical  engineering  4  years 

Mechanical  engineering  4  years 

Administrative    engineering   4  years 

Architectural  engineering  4  years 

Architecture  4  years 

Architecture  ~..2  years 

At  the  Oklahoma  School  of  Mines.  * 

Mining  engineering  4  years 

Highway  engineering  2  years 

Architectural  drawing 2  years 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  163 

Mechanical  drafting  2  years 

Machine  shop 2  years 

Practical  electricity  2  years 

*  These  curricula  are  not  of  full  college  grade  with 
the  possible  exception  of  the  curriculum  in  mining 
engineering. 

The  recommendations  which  pertain  to  engineering  are  four: 
First,  the  recommendation  regarding  the  schools  of  mines  has  al- 
ready been  given  (See  page  136).  In  keeping  with  the  rec- 
ommendation, it  is  recommended  further  that,  providing  there  is 
a  sufficient  demand,  courses  in  mining  engineering  be  offered  at 
the  University,  thus  placing  the  courses  on  a  professional  basis. 

It  might  be  argued  that  the  mining  schools  are  nearer  the 
mining  fields  and  that  consequently  they  can  serve  both  the  in- 
dustries and  the  students  better.  It  must  be  urged,  however, 
that  their  comparatively  inaccessible  locations  more  than  offset 
any  advantage  that  might  be  had  from  their  proximity  to  the 
industries.  To  transfer  the  work  to  the  University  will  insure  a 
high  grade  of  work. 

Second,  the  curricula  in  chemical  engineering  at  the  agricultur- 
al and  mechanical  college  and  at  the  State  University  are  a  need- 
less duplication,  as  the  demand  for  chemical  engineers  is  not  large 
enough  for  the  State  to  support  two  such  courses  of  instruction. 
It  is  recommended  that  chemical  engineering  be  given  only  at  the 
university.  The  university  has  excellent  equipment  in  chemistry. 
It  offers  strong  work  in  petroleum  technology  which  is  an  im- 
portant branch  of  chemical  engineering.  This  one  institution  can 
train  all  the  chemical  engineers  for  which  there  is  demand  in  the 
State. 

Third,  the  engineering  equipment  at  the  University  is  woefully 
inadequate,  and  far  below  the  standard  of  a  first  class  engineering 
school.  More  apparatus,  machinery,  and  housing  are  needed. 
Steps  should  be  taken  as  soon  as  possible  to  bring  the  facilities  for 
engineering  instruction  at  the  University  up  to  standard. 

Fourth,  one  of  the  important  developments  in  agriculture  is 
in  the  field  of  rural  engineering.  At  the  Agricultural  and  Me- 
chanical College  a  beginning  has  been  made  in  the  subject  by  em- 
ploying a  member  of  the  faculty  to  offer  courses,  but  the  provision 
for  equipment  is  very  inadequate  indeed  as  there  is  practically  no 
machinery  for  study  nor  is  there  space  for  housing  such  machinery. 


164  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

This  work  should  be  given  greater  attention,  and  it  should  be  more 
adequately  supported. 

2.     COMMERCE  AND  BUSINESS. 

Instruction  in  commerce  and  business  is  now  offered  both  by 
the  University  and  by  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College. 
The  University  in  1913  established  a  School  of  Commerce  and  In- 
dustry which  in  1917  was  reorganized  as  the  School  of  Public  and 
Private  Business.  The  purpose  of  this  work  is  stated  thus : 

' '  The  courses  offered  are  designed  to  prepare  students  for  occu- 
pations such  as  the  following,  accountancy,  banking,  government 
service,  foreign  trade,  secretarial  work,  insurance,  mercantile  bus- 
iness (wholesale  or  retail),  and  teaching.  The  training  also  serves 
to  prepare  students  to  act  as  private  and  community  business  ad- 
visers. ' ' 

To  enter  the  school  applicants  must  have  completed  one  year 
of  work  in  a  college  of  liberal  arts.  Special  curricula  are  suggested 
for  the  last  two  years  as  follows : 

For  general  business  training 

For  banking  and  finance 

For  mercantile  business 

For  accounting 

For  secretarial  work 

The  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  established  a  school  of 
commerce  and  marketing  in  1914.  The  typical  fields  for  which  the 
courses  prepare  are  enumerated  as  follows : 

"High  school  and  college  teaching,  secretarial  work,  office  man- 
agement, bookkeeping  and  accounting,  banking  and  finance,  mer- 
chandising, marketing,  commercial  agriculture,  personnel  admin- 
istration, administrative  engineering,  industrial  management,  trans- 
portation and  foreign  trade. ' ' 

Fifteen  units  of  secondary  school  work  are  required  for  admis- 
sion to  the  school  as  a  candidate  for  a  degree  or  certificate.  Three 
courses  of  instruction  are  offered  as  follows : 

Commerce  and  marketing  course 4  years 

Administrative  engineering  course  4  years 

Secretarial  training  course 2  years 

In  addition  to  the  above  work  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College  supports  a  department  of  rural  enonomics  and  sociology 
under  the  school  of  agriculture.  It  is  stated  that  the 

"Courses  are  offered  to  supplement  the  production  courses  in 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  165 

the  ScEool  of  Agriculture  and  are  intended  to  round  out  the  other 
courses  by  giving  the  student  a  knowledge  of  the  economic  principles 
which  relate  to  the  production  and  marketing  of  farm  products; 
and  they  are  furthermore  intended  to  stimulate  interest  in  the  socio- 
economic  conditions  of  the  agricultural  classes. " 

The  enrollments  in  commerce  and  business  at  the  two  institu- 
tions have  been  as  follows : 

University  College 

1915-16  54 

1920-21  217 

1921-22  263 

1922-23  341 

After  careful  consideration  it  appears  that  a  School  of  Com- 
merce and  Marketing  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College 
is  a  mistake.  In  part  it  is  an  unnecessary  duplication  of  work  done 
at  the  University.  It  sets  up  and  advertises  work  in  commerce  and 
marketing  as  a  major  function  of  the  college — a  procedure  which 
tends  to  smother  the  work  in  agriculture  by  diverting  both  students 
and  funds  therefrom.  It  seems  clear  that  the  Agricultural  and  Me- 
chanical College  has  a  distinct  and  most  important  service  to  ren- 
der to  the  State — a  service  which  is  greatly  impeded  by  setting  up 
courses  of  study  which  have  little  or  no  relation  to  the  main  purposes 
of  the  college. 

Occasionally  the  idea  is  expressed  that  the  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  College  should  be  considered  as  a  class  institution,  that 
is,  an  institution  which  serves  a  distinct  class  of  people  and  which 
should,  accordingly,  offer  all  courses  which  that  class  of  people  de- 
mand or  which  they  will  choose  if  it  is  offered  to  them.  This  does 
not  comport  with  the  more  modern  ideals  concerning  such  institu- 
tions. 

Agricultural  and  mechanical  colleges  have  a  distinct  function 
to  perform  based  on  lines  of  activity  rather  than  on  class  lines.  To 
say  that  the  sons  and  daughters  of  farmers  or  of  other  industrial 
groups  desire  training  in  commerce  and  business  is  thus  no  reason 
for  giving  such  work  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College 
when  it  is  offered  at  the  University. 

The  work  in  economics  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College  can  and  should  properly  serve  three  purposes :  First,  there 
is  a  need  for  courses  in  general  economics  as  a  part  of  the  training 
given  to  students  in  the  school  of  science  and  literature.  Second, 


166  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

there  is  an  important  need  for  strong  work  in  rural  economics.  It 
is  a  subject  which  is  demanding  increasing  attention.  Third,  there 
is  need  for  training  commercial  teachers  who  shall  go  into  the  high 
schools  to  teach  business  courses.  To  offer  technical  training  for 
those  whose  object  is  to  engage  in  business  should  be  reserved  for 
the  University,  which  is  offering  well  ordered  courses  for  this  pur- 
pose. It  is  therefore  recommended  that  the  school  of  commerce 
and  marketing  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  be  re- 
duced to  a  department,  and  that  the  department  of  rural  economics 
and  sociology  be  consolidated  with  it. 

3.     MEDICINE. 

The  development  of  medical  instruction  as  a  part  of  the  work 
of  the  University  of  Oklahoma  began  in  1900  when  the  first  two 
years  of  a  medical  course  were  offered  at  Norman.  In  1910  the 
third  and  fourth  years  were  established  in  Oklahoma  City.  Two 
years  later  the  Training  School  for  Nurses  was  begun. 

At  present  the  work  of  the  medical  school  is  conducted  at  three 
places — the  University,  the  old  city  hospital  building,  and  the  new 
hospital  built  in  1920.  It  is  a  very  unsatisfactory  arrangement. 
There  is  no  real  reason  for  this  separation  in  medicine,  in  fact  it 
militates  decidedly  against  good  medical  education.  So  exacting 
and  intensive  is  the  study  of  medicine  that  the  student  should  be 
kept  in  the  professional  atmosphere  throughout  his  course.  All  of 
the  work  in  medicine  should  be  brought  together  under  one  roof  in 
Oklahoma  City.  It  is  fundamental  to  the  most  successful  develop- 
ment of  medical  education  in  the  future. 

The  school  is  comparatively  young  and  it  faces  an  abundance 
of  problems.  One  of  these  is  to  provide  a  larger  full  time  teaching 
staff.  The  proportion  of  regular  practicing  physicians  on  the  staff 
at  present  is  entirely  too  high.  There  may  be  some  justification  for 
retaining  part-time  members  on  the  staff  but  in  general  the  practice 
is  not  to  be  encouraged. 

A  second  problem  is  to  erect  a  clinical  building  at  the  hospital 
and  abandon  the  building  now  used  for  clinical  purposes.  If  the 
small  building  at  Norman  now  used  for  teaching  anatomy  is  to  be 
used  further  for  this  purpose  it  should  be  increased  in  size  and  some 
provision  should  be  made  for  ventilating  the  room.  In  the  interest 
of  the  health  and  training  of  the  students  the  present  condition 
should  no  longer  be  tolerated. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  167 

A  SCHOOL  OF  PUBLIC  HEALTH  NEEDED. 

The  University  should  as  soon  as  possible  develop  a  school  of 
public  health  in  conjunction  with  the  medical  school.  No  concern 
of  the  State  can  be  more  important  than  for  the  health  of  her 
people.  Public  health,  preventive  medicine,  and  public  hygiene  are 
all  assuming  large  importance.  Public  health  officials  need  a  train- 
ing different  from  that  offered  for  developing  practising  physicians 
and  surgeons,  a  fact  which  should  be  recognized. 

A  valuable  State  service  which  the  medical  school  should  per- 
form is  to  offer  special  courses  for  practising  physicians  in  the  State. 
These  courses  should  be  planned  in  consultation  with  the  State 
medical  association  in  such  a  way  as  best  to  accommodate  the  Okla- 
homa physicians  both  as  to  the  time  of  year  in  which  they  are 
offered  and  as  to  the  subjects  treated.  Such  courses  should  aim 
to  keep  the  physicians  of  the  State  fully  abreast  of  the  latest  ad- 
vances in  medical  science. 

It  is  very  desirable  that  medical  research  be  carried  on  in  the 
medical  school.  Opportunity  should  be  offered  for  such  service. 
The  medical  school  would  be  distinctly  stimulated  by  securing  for 
its  staff  at  least  one  man  of  outstanding  national  reputation  as  an 
investigator  in  some  phase  of  medicine. 

4.     GRADUATE  WORK. 

Opportunities  for  study  beyond  that  for  the  baccalaureate  de- 
gree are  offered  by  the  University  and  the  Agricultural  and  Mechan- 
ical College.  The  work  offered  by  the  University  was  organized  as 
a  separate  school  in  1909,  and  it  is  consequently  under  the  adminis- 
tration of  a  dean  and  a  graduate  council  assisted  by  a  legislative 
body  consisting  of  the  president  of  the  University,  the  dean  of  the 
graduate  school,  and  the  professors  and  associate  professors  of  the 
various  departments  which  offer  graduate  courses. 

The  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  also  offers  graduate 
work  but  such  work  is  not  organized  in  a  separate  school.  In  both 
institutions  the  usual  requirements  for  advanced  degrees  obtain. 
The  degrees  conferred  are  as  follows : 

Agricultural  and  Mechanical 

College.  University 

Master  of  Science  in  agriculture.  Master  of  Arts 

Master  of  science  in  home  economics         Master  of  Science 
Master  of  science  in  science  and  liter-      Master  of  Science  in 

ature  Education 


168  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Master  of  science  in  education  Master  of  Science  in 

Master  of  science  in  commerce  and  mar-  Engineering 

keting 

Chemical  engineer  Chemical  engineer 

Civil  engineer  Civil  engineer 

Electrical  engineer  Electrical  engineer 

Mechanical  engineer  Mechanical  engineer 

Architectural  engineer 

The  enrollments  of  graduate  students  are  as  follows: 

At  the  University. 75  students 

At  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  ......14  students 

Total 89  students 

This  is  a  relatively  small  number  when  compared  to  the  total 
of  4,836  undergraduate  and  special  students  in  the  two  institutions. 
The  condition  is  undoubtedly  due  to  the  comparative  newness  of 
the  State  and  to  the  fact  that  demands  for  undergraduate  instruc- 
tion have  increased  so  rapidly  that  the  institutions  have  scarcely 
been  able  to  provide  for  advanced  study. 

Graduate  study  is  a  field  of  work  to  which  the  State  can  well 
afford  to  give  more  attention,  especially  if  it  desires  to  secure  the 
ablest  leadership  and  to  provide  for  the  welfare  of  its  citizens.  For 
the  present  it  is  wise  not  to  reach  out  beyond  the  master's  and  pro- 
fessional degrees,  but  work  of  those  grades  should  be  very  mater- 
ially strengthened. 

Strong  advanced  work  adds  to  the  standing  of  a  university  or 
college  and  it  furnishes  inspiration  to  undergraduates.  Graduate 
work  leading  to  the  masters'  and  professional  degrees  should  be 
strengthened  at  the  University  in  all  its  major  functions,  and  grad- 
uate work  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  leading  to 
those  degrees  should  be  strengthened  in  the  three  major  functions 
of  the  college — agriculture,  engineering,  and  home  economics. 

5.     EESEARCH. 

One  of  the  important  functions  of  institutions  of  higher  learn- 
ing is  to  promote  the  public  welfare  by  adding  to  the  store  of  use- 
ful knowledge,  which  aids  man  in  his  conquest  over  nature,  which 
shows  him  how  to  maintain  his  health,  and  which  promotes  his 
happiness  generally.  In  the  University,  energy  is  almost  entirely 
consumed  in  instruction  and  very  little  is  being  done  in  research — 
not  an  unusual  condition  in  institutions  which  have  grown  very  rap- 
idly and  which  had  to  make  giant  strides  merely  to  keep  up  with 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  169 

the  demands  for  teaching.  The  time,  however,  is  at  hand  when 
emphasis  should  be  placed  on  contributing  to  knowledge.  It  must 
go  hand  in  hand  with  the  development  of  strong  graduate  work. 

At  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  research  in  agri- 
culture is  organized  in  an  agricultural  experiment  station,  which 
for  the  year  1921-22  had  the  following  amounts  available: 

1.  From  Federal  funds $30,000 

2.  From  State  funds 10,500 

3.  Experiment  station  earnings  7,629 


Total $48,129 

An  examination  of  the  work  of  the  station  revealed  the  fact 
that  its  work  is  very  inadequate.  The  State  for  the  year  1921-22 
contributed  for  research  in  the  station  only  one-tenth  as  much  as 
it  gave  for  extension  in  agriculture  and  home  economics.  In  fact 
the  support  for  the  experimental  work  is  far  below  what  it  should 
be  in  a  State  with  such  agricultural  possibilities  as  Oklahoma  has. 
Furthermore,  the  energy  which  should  go  into  research  is  being  dis- 
ipated  in  teaching  and  in  extension.  Only  three  men  are  actually 
engaged  on  research  in  the  station,  and  only  a  very  limited  number 
of  bulletins  are  published.  The  station  has  in  recent  years  made  no 
outstanding  contribution  to  agricultural  knowledge. 

It  is  impossible  to  refrain  from  calling  attention  to  the  havoc 
which  short  and  insecure  tenure  plays  with  the  activities  and  plans 
of  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  station.  The  work  of  research  is 
necessarily  a  long  process.  Many  projects  must  in  the  nature  of  the 
case  extend  over  a  period  of  years.  Interruptions  in  such  work  are 
likely  to  result  in  serious  losses.  A  new  investigator  is  not  likely 
to  enter  on  a  project,  planned  and  begun  by  another,  with  the  same 
zest  and  interest  as  the  originator  had  in  its  final  outcome.  The  con- 
tention consequently  is  that  changes  in  the  research  staff  should  be 
made  only  very  rarely  and  cautiously  if  real  progress  is  to  be  made 
in  research. 

6.  EXTENSION  AND  CORRESPONDENCE. 
One  of  the  ways  by  which  the  State  institutions  of  higher  edu- 
cation reach  out  from  their  doors  to  all  sections  of  the  State,  and 
thus  serve  the  citizens  in  a  very  extensive  way,  is  through  their  ex- 
tension service  and  correspondence  courses.  For  a  number  of  years 
the  University  has  been  building  up  this  service.  During  the  year 
1921-22  it  expended  $65,408.00  in  these  activities.  The  Agricul- 


170  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

tural  and  Mechanical  College  administers  the  extension  work  in 
agriculture  and  home  economics  under  the  Federal  Smith-Lever  Act. 
For  the  year  1921-22  the  following  amounts  were  available  for 
the  work : 

1.  Federal  funds $190,033 

2.  State  funds  105,000 

3.  County  funds 150,956 


Total ! $445,989 

In  addition  to  the  Smith-Lever  work  the  Agricultural  and  Me- 
chanical College  during  the  year  1921-22  established  a  "  school  of 
correspondence  study"  which  offers  a  wide  variety  of  courses  in 
practically  all  the  schools  of  the  college,  including  38  secondary 
courses.  All  of  the  State  teachers'  colleges  are  also  offering  cor- 
respondence and  extension  work.  The  Oklahoma  School  of  Mines  is 
conducting  correspondence  courses  in  mining.  Nine  institutions 
are  now  engaged  in  this  work  and  they  have  enrolled  in  the  var- 
ious courses  a  total  of  3,798  people.  (See  Table  19). 

Extension  and  correspondence  work  in  Oklahoma  has  great 
possibilities,  and  it  should  be  encouraged  by  generous  appropria- 
tions from  the  State  along  many  lines.  However,  the  State  teachers* 
colleges,  and  to  some  extent  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Col- 
lege, have  attempted  too  broad  an  extension  program.  The  exten- 
sion and  correspondence  work  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College  should  be  confined  to  the  major  functions  of  that  institu- 
tion, that  is  to  agriculture,  engineering,  and  home  economics.  The 
teachers'  colleges  should  by  no  means  enter  the  field  of  correspond- 
ence and  extension  service  for  the  training  of  teachers  above  the 
elementary  grades  so  long  as  they  are  not  prepared  to  train  sec- 
ondary teachers  in  residence  courses. 

The  present  practice  of  having  extension  classes  taught  by 
local  school  superintendents  and  principals  is  decidedly  open  to 
question.  It  is  very  difficult  properly  to  safeguard  the  selection 
of  these  instructors,  and  for  the  institution  to  have  that  control 
over  the  character  and  quality  of  the  class  work  which  is  necessary 
to  guarantee  uniformly  high  standards.  Extension  classes  should 
therefore  be  conducted  by  members  of  the  regular  faculty  only. 

At  the  University  and  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Col- 
lege the  extension  and  correspondence  activities  are  divided  among 
several  administrative  officers.  This  situation  inevitably  leads  to 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  171 

a  lack  of  coordination  of  effort  and  to  confusion  in  administration. 
For  these  reasons  it  is  suggested  that  a  single  extension  director  at 
each  of  these  institutions  be  placed  in  charge  of  all  such  activities 
conducted  by  the  respective  institutions. 

In  order  that  wasteful  and  unnecessary  duplication  of  effort 
in  these  fields  may  be  avoided,  and  in  order  that  there  may  be  some 
uniformity  in  extension  practices,  it  is  recommended  that  the  ex- 
tension directors  of  the  several  higher  educational  institutions  meet 
and  agree  on  a  program.  The  followng  are  some  of  the  subjects  to 
be  considered: 

1.  Limitation  of  the  field  of  activity  for  each  of  the  several 
institutions. 

2.  Exchange  of  credits. 

3.  Transfer  of  registrations. 

4.  Uniform  scale  o-f  fees. 

5.  Regulations  for  conducting  extension  classes. 

7.  THE  HIGHER  EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES. 

The  purpose  of  State  higher  education  for  Negroes  is  threefold : 
First,  teachers  must  be  trained  for  the  Negro  schools.  The  number 
of  Negro  teachers  in  the  State  is:  rural  and  elementary  schools, 
1,170 ;  accredited  high  schools,  117. 

Second,  vocational  training  must  be  given,  as  is  mentioned 
elsewhere.  Third,  there  is  need  for  a  number  of  Negroes  who  are 
trained  in  the  professions  such  as  medicine,  the  ministry,  etc. 

The  only  institution  of  higher  learning  for  Negroes  in  the  State 
is  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University  at  Langston, 
which  offers  a  four  year  high  school  curriculum  and  two  years  nor- 
mal and  college  curricula.  It  now  enrolls  344  students,  of  whom 
115  are  above  high  school  grade.  The  number  of  normal  diplomas 
granted  in  respective  years  was  as  follows:  1916,  23;  1921,  37; 
1922,  75.  In  addition  four  bachelor  of  science  degrees  were  granted 
in  1916.*  It  is  apparent  that  the  institution  is  primarily^  normal 
school. 

*Normal  training  for  Negroes  is  offered  in  four  high  schools  under  an  Act 
of  1915  mentioned  elsewhere. 

Excellent  progress  has  been  made  in  the  school  during  the 
past  few  years  since  it  has  been  under  the  present  management. 
This  progress  has,  however,  been  principally  in  providing  buildings 
and  sanitation,  chiefly  because  these  matters  had  to  receive  atten- 
tion before  others.  In  fact,  so  much  attention  and  energy  of  the 
management  had  to  be  given  to  these  needs  that  there  seems  to  have 


172 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


been  a  lack  of  attention  to  instruction,  for  which  the  fault  attaches 
to  the  State  because  it  has  not  provided  the  necessary  facilities  for 
housing  the  students  and  the  activities  of  the  school.  The  manage- 
ment has  done  very  well  indeed  with  the  meager  State  support 
which  it  received. 

The  situation  above  described  has  resulted  in  deficient  facilities 
for  instruction.  The  library  has  only  a  few  hundred  volumes,  it 
should  have  at  least  ten  thousand.  The  laboratories  are  not  at  all 
sufficiently  equipped  for  even  secondary  instruction.  Much  more 
shop  equipment  of  various  kinds  is  an  absolute  necessity  if  the  work 
in  manual  arts  is  to  serve  a  useful  purpose.  One  of  the  greatest 
needs  is  for  an  adequate  and  well  organized  training  or  practice 
school.  At  present  the  only  pupils  available  for  such  purpose  are 
the  following:  Grades  1-6,  18;  grade  7,  29;  grade  8,  30.  These 
classes  are  far  from  suitable  for  training  school  purposes. 

A  study  of  conditions  shows  that  the  first  step  toward  improv- 
ing the  institution  should  be  to  change  its  location.  Three  reasons 


«u* 

16      U- , J J 

I 


.,_*._  J    ._ S_J|   8T  f        *3M 

v5~i~     J*Bi 


"^T    ORCER    C  j   M78    12 

SL  179._V?  4^2  r-1 

-T-    <P  .7 E 


LOCATION  OP  THE  COLORED  AGRICULTURAL 
ADD  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY 


COUNTIES  HAVING  MORE  THAK  6,500  NEGROES  -  8  COUNTIES 
COUNTIES  EAVIBG  PHOM  2,000  TO  6,500  NEGROES  -  10  COUNTIES 

FIGURE  14 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 


173 


may  be  stated  for  this  view:  First,  the  Negro  population  of  the 
State  is  fairly  well  concentrated  in  certain  sections,  as  is  evident 
from  Figure  14.  Logan  County,  in  which  the  school  is  now  located, 
had  in  1920,  a  Negro  population  of  6,422.  At  the  same  time  each 
of  the  following  eight  counties  had  a  larger  Negro  population  than 
had  Logan  County : 


Muskogee 15,310 

Oklahoma 11,401 

Tulsa 10,903 

Okmulgee  ...  ..  9,791 


Okfuskee  8,617 

Wagoner  7,093 

McCurtain 6,914 

Creek  .  ...  6,794 


These  eight  counties  contained  56  per  cent  of  the  State's  Negro 
population.  It  may  be  noted  that  six  of  these  eight  counties  form 
a  contiguous  district.  Quite  obviously  if  the  school  is  to  serve  the 
Negro  population  it  should  be  located  somewhere  in  this  district. 
Further  study  shows  that,  barring  Logan  County,  62  per  cent  of 
those  enrolled  in  the  school  come  from  nine  counties,  which  form 
a  fairly  contiguous  district  (See  Figure  15)  as  follows: 


i                 I 

i 

CIHARRON                                                      TEXAS 

.£«« 

i                  ! 

! 

LOCATIOT  OP  THE  COLORED  AGRICULTURAL 

UfO  1JOKMAL  UHIVBRSITT 


COUHTIES  FROM  WHICH  10  OR  MORE  STUDEHTS  ARE  ENROLLED 

FIGURE  15 


174  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Okmulgee  25  Muskogee  18 

Lincoln  21  Wagoner 14 

Oklahoma  19  Okfuskee 10 

Creek 18  Tulsa  ..  10 

Mclntosh 18 

If  the  school  is  to  be  the  capstone  of  a  State  system  of  Negro 
education  it  should  have  close  contact  with  the  secondary  and 
elementary  schools,  and  it  should  furnish  inspiration  and  leadership 
for  the  lower  schools.  This  is  next  to  impossible  if  the  institution 
is  so  far  removed  from  the  center  of  activity.  The  cost  of  extension 
activities  at  great  distances  prevents  such  activities  on  the  part  of 
the  school. 

A  second  reason  and  an  important  one  for  a  change  in  location 
is  that  where  the  school  now  is  there  are  not  enough  children  to 
organize  a  satisfactory  training  school.  Only  67  pupils  below  high 
school  grade  are  now  available  for  such  purpose,  and  a  number  of 
these  are  unsuitable.  Most  of  those  enrolled  in  the  7th  and  8th 
grades  are  from  various  parts  of  the  State.  There  is  a  small  Negro 
school  at  Langston,  over  a  mile  distant  from  the  institution,  but  due 
to  the  attitude  of  the  town  this  school  is  not  available  for  teacher 
training  purposes. 

If  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University  is  really  to 
train  teachers  for  the  Negro  schools  of  Oklahoma  it  should  have 
training  school  facilities  of  from  250  to  300  pupils,  some  organized 
as  a  graded  school,  others  organized  as  rural  schools.  There  appears 
to  be  no  way  by  which  such  facilities  can  ever  be  assured  where  the 
institution  is  now  located.  There  are  not  enough  children  in  the 
community  for  such  purposes. 

Third,  the  school  at  present  is  several  miles  from  the  railroad, 
and  this  circumstance  adds  considerably  to  the  expense  of  running 
the  school.  The  expense  for  coal  alone  is  thousands  of  dollars  higher 
than  if  it  could  be  unloaded  into  the  storage  room  from  the  car 
directly.  New  buildings  cost  more  because  of  the  drayage  involved 
It  is  an  expense  which  will  continue  as  long  as  the  school  remains 
where  it  now  is. 

It  is  thus  evident  that  the  location  of  the  school  could  and  should 
be  greatly  improved  by  changing  it.  Now  is  the  opportune  time  to 
take  this  step  if  a  program  is  to  be  adopted  which  will  bring  the 
school  up  to  the  needs  of  the  Negro  population  of  the  State.  It  is 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  175 

very  doubtful  whether  the  school  can  ever  serve  its  constituency  in 
an  economical  manner  if  left  where  it  now  is. 

The  value  of  the  part  of  the  present  plant  which  could  not  be 
moved  is  very  slight  indeed  when  it  is  compared  with  what  will 
have  to  be  done  to  make  the  school  worthy  of  the  State.  The  build- 
ings are  mostly  of  cheap  construction  and  are  altogether  inadequate. 
The  girls'  dormitory  is  a  fire  trap  which  should  immediately  be  re- 
placed with  a  modern  building.  Another  boys'  dormitory  should 
be  built  at  once.  A  building  for  trades  is  also  an  immediate  neces- 
sity. These  are  only  a  few  of  the  projects  which  should  be  carried 
out  very  soon.  In  a  ten  year  building  program  the  present  build- 
ings are  a  negligible  factor. 

VI.     STANDARDS   OF   HIGHER   EDUCATION,   JUNIOR   COL- 
LEGES, AND  OTHER  SUGGESTIONS. 
1.     STANDARDS. 

The  accrediting  of  high  schools  in  Oklahoma  was  begun  by  the 
University  and  was  later  taken  over  by  the  State  Department  of 
Education.  The  work  is  carried  on  under  a  plan  whereby  high 
schools  are  accredited  for  certain  courses  thus  assuring  that  all  of 
the  high  school  work  will  be  kept  up  to  standard.  This  system  is 
excellent.  The  accrediting  so  far  as  could  be  determined  is  well 
done. 

The  entrance  credentials  submitted  by  those  seeking  admission 
to  the  university  are  checked  with  much  care,  and  high  entrance 
standards  are  maintained.  No  judgment  can  be  passed  on  this  work 
at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  for  the  reason  that  the 
original  certificates  submitted  by  entrants  are  not  always  kept  on 
file.  This  is  an  inexcusable  negligence  and  not  at  all  in  keeping 
with  good  practice. 

Entrance  credits  practice  and  records  are  not  in  satisfactory 
condition  at  the  college  for  women.  The  attempt  is  made  to  evalu- 
ate the  entrance  credits,  honestly,  but  the  work  lacks  system  and 
is  carelessly  done.  Likewise  the  records  of  entrance  at  the  State 
teachers'  colleges  generally  are  not  adequately  handled.  At  the 
Oklahoma  School  of  Mines  virtually  no  evaluation  and  record  of 
entrance  credentials  is  kept. 

In  order  that  entrance  credits  may  be  more  easily  and  uniform- 
ly evaluated  and  classified,  it  is  recommended  that  all  the  State -in- 
stitutions of  higher  learning  and  the  State  Department  of  Education 
join  in  the  adoption  of  a  uniform  high  school  and  college  entrance 


176 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


certificate.  It  is  further  recommended  that  the  original  college 
entrance  certificates  accepted  by  the  institutions  of  higher  learning 
be  kept  on  file  at  the  institutions. 

In  a  general  way,  to  take  the  college  curricula  of  the  various 
institutions  students  are  required  to  present  15  units  of  entrance 
credits,  though  conditional  entrance  is  granted  with  14  units.  The 
State  teachers'  colleges  make  no  further  requirement,  but  several 
of  the  other  institutions  prescribe  certain  work  as  follows : 

THE  UNIVERSITY. 


Subjects 
English 

Arts  and 
Science 

3 
2 
1 

1 

Required  Items 

Phar- 
macy 

3 

2 
1 

1 
1 
1 
6 

Engin- 
eering 

3 

2 

1% 

i 

K 

1 

1 
5, 

Fine 
Arts 

2 
2 
1 

1 
3 
6 

Medicine 

3 
2 
1 

1 

1 
6 

Foreign   language    

Algebra    

Plane  geometry 

Solid    geometry 

Science 

1 
1 
6 

History    

Piano    or   violin    
Elective 

AGRICULTURAL   AND    MECHANICAL    COLLEGE 


Subjects 
English 

Agriculture,  Home 
Economics,  Com- 
merce and  Marketing 
Education  and  Veter- 
inary Medicine 
3 

Required  Units 
Engineering, 
including  rural 
and  administra- 
tive engineering 

3 

Science  and 
literature 

3 

Foreign  language 
Algebra    
Plane    geometry 

Solid  geometry   .... 
Science    

1 
1 

1 

1 

1% 

1 

% 

1 

1 
1  2-3 
1 

1 

Social  science  
Elective     

1 

8 

7 

7  1-3 

College  far  Women:  The  entrance  requirements  are  the  same 
for  all  curricula,  and  correspond  exactly  to  those  demanded  at  the 
University  for  entrance  to  the  arts  and  science  curricula. 

Miami  School  of  Mines:  The  entrance  requirements  are  the 
same  as  those  at  the  University. 

Oklahoma  School  of  Mines :     '  *  Candidates  for  degrees  in  Mining 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  177 

and  Metallurgy  Engineering  must  satisfy  the  Faculty  of  the  school 
by  evidence  that  they  have  satisfactorily  completed  a  course  in  a 
high  school  of  recognized  standing." 

The  entrance  requirements  are  sufficiently  liberal.  It  is  rec- 
ommended that  the  major  portion  of  any  high  school  curriculum 
accepted  by  the  institutions  of  higher  education  be  definitely  corre- 
lated with  the  course  of  study  to  which  the  student  is  admitted. 
This  requirement  will  reduce  the  amount  of  instruction  at  the  higher 
institutions  which  is  in  reality  of  secondary  grade. 

Admission  with  advanced  standing  is  permitted  at  the  Uni- 
versity and  at  the  College  for  Women  only  on  the  basis  of  evaluation 
by  courses.  In  certain  cases  this  is  likewise  true  of  the  Agricultural 
and  Mechanical  College  but  the  following  statement  appears  in  the 
catalogue : 

"Graduates  from  the  two-year  courses  in  normal  schools  in 
Oklahoma  will  receive  junior  standing  in  the  schools  of  home  econ- 
omics, education,  and  commerce,  and  marketing,  and  in  the  depart- 
ments of  agricultural  education,  rural  economics  and  the  genera] 
courses  in  the  school  of  agrciulture;  in  the  school  of  engineering 
and  science  and  literature  and  in  the  remaining  courses  in  the  school 
of  agriculture,  they  will  receive  the  credits  to  which  their  previous 
work  entitles  them." 

The  first  part  of  the  statement  quoted  announces  an  unwar- 
ranted procedure.  Much  of  the  work  of  the  two-year  teachers  col- 
lege curricula  is  of  elementary  nature.  Elsewhere  it  is  recommended 
that  the  curricula  for  the  training  of  elementary  teachers  and  the 
curricula  for  the  training  of  secondary  teachers  be  clearly  differ- 
entiated. It  is  recommended,  further,  that  graduates  from  the  two- 
year  curricula  of  the  teachers'  colleges,  instead  of  receiving  a  blanket 
credit  for  two  years  of  college  work,  receive  credit  only  for  such 
specific  courses  as  can  properly  be  considered  of  college  character. 

2.    JUNIOR  COLLEGES. 

Oklahoma  has  two  junior  colleges  under  State  control,  and 
several  localities  have  definitely  begun  junior  college  work  by  giv- 
ing one  year  of  college  work  in  connection  with  their  high  schools. 
There  are  also  two  privately  controlled  junior  colleges  within  the 
State. 

A  recommendation  has  already  been  made  regarding  one  of 
the  junior  colleges,  the  Miami  School  of  Mines.  The  school  needs  a 
considerable  addition  to  its  laboratory  equipment.  The  library  con- 
tains only  a  few  books,  it  should  have  at  least  10,000  volumes  for 


178  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

junior  college  work.  Of  the  nine  faculty  members  who  give  in- 
struction in  college  subjects  two  have  degrees  above  the  baccalau- 
reate degree,  six  have  baccalaureate  degrees,  and  one  has  no  bac- 
calaureate degree. 

Both  in  equipment  and  in  the  faculty  the  school  must  be 
strengthened  to  become  a  standard  junior  college.  The  secondary 
work  is  being  dropped  because  there  is  very  little  demand  for  it. 
The  present  program  of  instruction  is  outlined  to  articulate  with 
the  University  of  Oklahoma,  except  the  curriculum  in  mining  en- 
gineering, which  is  devised  to  articulate  with  the  work  of  the 
Missouri  State  School  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy.  The  institution, 
while  located  in  an  enterprising  and  growing  city,  is  unfortunately 
located  from  the  point  of  view  of  accessibility  to  the  State,  a  con  ii- 
tion  which  is  reflected  by  the  fact  that  87  per  cent  of  the  89  Okla- 
homa residents  who  are  college  students  in  the  school  are  residents 
of  Ottawa  County,  that  is,  the  school  is  principally  a  local  ani 
county  institution  which  is  supported  at  State  expense.  In  the  opin- 
ion of  the  Survey,  this  school  should  be  located  at  Claremore.  It 
would  then  be  at  a  railroad  center,  and  it  would  be  strategically 
located  to  render  a  regional  and  State  rather  than  a  more  or  less 
local  service. 

The  case  of  the  other  junior  college,  the  Panhandle  Agricultural 
and  Mechanical  College,  remains  to  be  considered.  Undoubtedly  the 
purpose  in  extending  the  course  of  study  of  the  Panhandle  Agricul- 
tural Institute  in  1921  to  include  two  years  of  college  work  was 
to  provide  collegiate  education  for  a  section  of  the  State  which  is 
far  removed  from  the  State  institutions  of  higher  learning.  Else- 
where it  is  recommended  that  the  State  District  Agricultural  Schools 
be  gradually  discontinued  and  that  a  system  of  adequate  State  aid 
for  high  schools  be  developed.  This  recommendation  is  especially 
applicable  to  the  Panhandle  School.  Already  there  are  12  accred- 
ited high  schools  in  the  three  panhandle  counties.  (See  Figure  16.) 


Tyrone 
Hoolcer 


DIAGRAM  SHOWING  THE  LOCATION  OP  ACCREDITED  HIGH  SCHOOLS 

IN  THE  PANHANDLE  COUNTIES  OF  OKLAHOMA.     THE  NUMBERS 

INDICATE  THE  NUMBER  OF  UNITS  FOR  WHICH  THE  SCHOOLS 

ARE    ACCREDITED.      THE    HIGH    SCHOOL    AT    GUYMON    IS 

ACCREDITED  BY  THE  NORTH    CENTRAL  ASSOCIATION. 

FIGURE  16 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  179 

With  a  system  of  State  aid,  these  high  schools  will  develop 
rapidly  and  others  will  be  established  as  they  are  needed.  Further- 
more, under  the  county  unit  system  which  is  recommended,  the  high 
schools  of  a  county  can  be  so  located  that  they  will  be  accessible  to 
all  the  youths  of  the  county,  who  can  attend  them  and  room  and 
board  at  home. 

The  question  then  arises,  what  provision  shall  be  made  to  give 
higher  education  to  the  graduates  of  the  high  schools.  Two  courses 
are  open.  First,  the  institution  at  Goodwell  can  be  maintained  as 
a  junior  college.  In  November  it  reported  a  college  enrollment  of 
46.  The  institution  is  quite  unprepared  to  give  instruction  of  col- 
lege grade.  The  laboratory  equipment,  with  the  possible  exception 
of  that  for  home  economics,  is  inadequate  even  for  secondary  work. 
Of  the  10  members  of  the  faculty  who  give  college  courses,  exclud- 
ing the  director  of  music,  7  have  baccalaureate  degrees,  2  have  nor- 
mal school  diplomas,  and  1  is  a  student  assistant  with  no  certificate 
of  graduation.  No  member  of  the  faculty  has  a  master's  degree. 

The  library  consists  of  1,800  volumes,  of  which  number  approx- 
imately 500  are  useful ;  the  rest  are  practically  worthless  for  a  jun- 
ior college  library.  Under  no  circumstances  should  the  college  work 
be  continued  with  the  present  facilities  and  staff.  To  give  such 
work  under  the  guise  of  a  college  is  to  deceive  the  young  men  and 
the  young  women  who  enroll  in  the  institution. 

If  a  junior  college  is  to  be  maintained  it  should  be  kept  up  to 
such  a  standard  that  it  will  be  recognized  by  the  State  university. 
This  will  cost  out  of  proportion  to  the  present  number  of  students, 
but  in  five  years,  with  rapid  high  school  development  in  the  pan- 
handle counties,  there  should  be  125  students  wanting  to  take  jun- 
ior college  work. 

A  second  course  which  is  open  to  provide  instruction  of  college 
grade  is  for  the  State  to  pay  the  round  trip  transportation  annually 
of  students  from  the  three  panhandle  counties  to  any  of  the  follow- 
ing which  a  student  desires  to  attend :  The  University  of  Oklahoma, 
the  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  and  the  North- 
western State  Teachers  College.  Such  a  plan  would  cost  the  State 
less  money  than  would  the  education  of  those  students  in  a  first- 
class  junior  college  in  the  panhandle.  A  disadvantage  of  such  a 
plan  from  the  State  point  of  view  is  that  a  large  proportion  of  the 
students  would  probably  not  return  to  develop  the  counties  which 
are  their  homes. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  junior  college  work  at  the  Panhandle 


180  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  be  gradually  brought  up  to 
recognized  standards ;  that  the  college  work  be  materially  improved 
for  next  year  (1923-24)  ;  and  that  the  high  school  work  be  discon- 
tinued by  dropping  the  first  year  in  June,  1923,  the  second  year  in 
June,  1924,  the  third  year  in  June,  1925,  and  the  fourth  year  in 
June,  1926. 

The  University  has  been  awake  to  the  junior  college  movements 
and  it  has  consequently  set  up  regulations  regarding  university 
credit  for  junior  college  work.  Neither  of  the  two  existing  State 
junior  colleges  measures  up  fully  to  these  regulations. 

A  STATE  POLICY  WITH  REFERENCE  TO  JUNIOR  COLLEGES 

ESSENTIAL. 

In  the  short  time  allotted  for  the  survey  it  has  not  been  possi- 
ble to  make  a  full  study  of  the  junior  college  problem  in  Oklahoma. 
However,  the  committee  believes  that  as  a  result  of  a  relatively 
small  number  of  good  privately  supported  colleges  in  the  State  it  is 
necessary,  as  has  already  been  stated,  for  the  State  to  support  high- 
er education  to  a  degree  unnecessary  in  other  States.  Furthermore, 
with  the  rapid  increase  in  population  and  the  great  development  of 
secondary  education  it  has  already  been  demonstrated  that  the 
State  will  be  compelled  to  resort  to  unusual  measures  to  support 
higher  education  and  probably  to  relieve  the  university  at  least 
from  some  of  the  burden  of  student  enrollment.  For  this  reason  the 
committee  has  approved  the  continuation  of  two  existing  schools  as 
junior  colleges,  and  it  believes  that  the  State  can  very  well  afford 
to  consider  favorably  the  organization  of  a  system  of  junior  colleges 
by  the  addition  of  perhaps  three  more  junior  colleges  located  at 
strategic  railway  centers  in  the  State.  The  work  of  these  junior 
colleges  should  be  definitely  correlated  with  that  of  the  university, 
and  they  should  be  administered  by  the  university  board  of  regents 
except  of  course  in  the  case  of  the  Panhandle  Junior  College  of 
Agriculture  which  should  be  under  the  governing  board  of  the  Agri- 
cultural and  Mechanical  College. 

3.     OTHER  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Several  additional  suggestions  and  recommendations  pertain  to 
a  number  of  unrelated  matters.  First,  it  is  recommended  that  ser- 
ious consideration  be  given  by  the  State  authorities  to  the  de- 
sirability of  removing  certain  of  the  educational  institutions  to 
other  locations  in  which  they  might  be  able  to  render  more  accept- 
able service  to  the  State.  Inaccessibility  and  inconvenient  rail- 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  181 

road  connections  are  serious  handicaps  to  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  all  institutions. 

Second,  it  is  suggested  that  catalogs  of  institutions  should  not- 
print  outlines  of  courses  which  they  have  no  reasonable  expectation 
of  offering.  The  following  data  indicate  the  percentage  of  courses 
offered  which  were  actually  given  in  1921-22 : 

University 75 

Agricultural  &  Mechanical  College 77 

College  for  Women  55 

State  Teachers'  Colleges: 

Central   59 

East  Central 68 

Southeastern   51 

Northeastern  57 

Southwestern 49 

Northwestern   46 

All  of  the  State  teachers'  colleges  print  the  State  courses, 
but  as  is  quite  obvious  none  of  them  gives  them  all.  To  advertise 
so  many  offerings  without  the  possibilities  of  giving  them  is  likely 
to  deceive  the  citizens  of  the  State.  It  is  proper  to  advertise 
offerings  which  depend  on  the  registration  but  these  should  be 
kept  within  reasonable  bounds. 

It  is  also  suggested  that  the  catalogs  should  omit  such  matter 
as  that  pertaining  to  the  healthfulness  of  the  community,  the 
scenic  beauty  of  the  environment,  and  other  items  which  may  be 
taken  for  granted.  Complete  and  accurate  statistical  information 
on  the  faculty,  enrollments,  diplomas,  and  degrees  granted,  size  of 
library,  income,  etc.,  should  be  included.  Some  idea  of  the  kind 
of  information  which  a  catalog  should  contain  may  be  had  from  a 
study  of  the  requests  for  information  which  are  constantly  being 
received  from  prospective  students  and  from  citizens  of  the  State. 
A  catalog  should  partake  of  the  nature  of  a  reliable  report  as 
well  as  of  the  nature  of  an  advertisement. 

Third,  it  is  recommended  that  the  State  establish  a  rotary  loan 
fund  at  each  institution  of  higher  education,  such  a  fund  to  be 
available  to  worthy  students  who  need  assistance.  Beginnings 
have  already  been  made  in  this  service.  The  fund  should  be  con- 
ducted in  a  business-like  way  and  it  should  in  five  or  six  years  be- 
come self-sustaining. 


182  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

VII,  '.  STUDENT  WELFARE. 
1.     PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  AND  HEALTH. 

When  the  War  Department  findings  in  regard  to  the  health 
of  the  young  men  of  the  country  were  made  public  there  followed 
a  great  wave  of  interest  in  all  matters  relating  to  the  physical 
well-being  of  children  and  young  people.  Departments  of  physical 
education  which  had  tended  toward  more  competitive  athletics 
broadened  their  activities  and  added  physicians  to  their  staffs.  In 
most  of  the  leading  educational  institutions  the  responsibility  of 
promoting  the  physical  development  of  the  youth  was  recognized. 

This  recognition  has  resulted  in  certain  definite  programs  for 
promoting  health.  First,  facilities  were  provided  for  thorough 
medical  examinations  for  all  students  at  least  once  a  year  and  as 
many  more  times  as  such  examinations  were  deemed  necessary. 
Second,  provision  was  made  for  remedial  or  curative  treatment 
for  all  students  in  need  of  it.  Third,  the  support  of  an  infirmary 
with  nursing  and  medical  care  has  been  adopted  to  assure  all  stud- 
ents good  care  during  temporary  illness.  Fourth,  gymnasiums  and 
athletic  fields  were  enlarged  and  improved.  Fifth,  the  physical 
education  staffs  were  increased.  Sixth,  instruction  in  health  and 
hygiene  are  given  to  all  freshmen  students. 

CONDITIONS  IN  OKLAHOMA. 

The  Oklahoma  higher  educational  institutions  were  left  al- 
-most  untouched  by  this  increased  interest  in  the  halth  of  their 
students,  principally,  perhaps,  because  of  lack  of  financial  support. 
Practically  no  thorough  physical  examinations  are  given.  The 
best  conditions  in  this  respect  exist  at  the  college  for  women  but 
even  there  the  conditions  are  far  from  ideal.  Remedial  and  cura- 
tive treatment  is  likewise  given  only  to  a  very  limited  degree.  At 
the  University  there  is  an  inadequate  infirmary,  but  elsewhere  in 
the  State  no  provision  is  made  for  the  isolation  and  care  of  ill 
.  students. 

Physical  education  for  women  at  the  College  for  Women  is 
;  given  under  good  conditions  and  is  of  a  superior  type.  At  the 
\University  the  quality  of  the  provision  is  good,  but  it  is  insuf- 
ficient as  to  quantity.  At  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  Col- 
lege the  rooms  used  by  the  women  and  all  other  facilities  for  their 
physical  education  are  so  deficient  that  nothing  can  be  said  in 
approval.  Conditions  at  the  teachers'  colleges  vary  from  insuffi- 
cient quarters  to  almost  no  provision  at  all. 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  183 

The  men  students  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College 
have  an  excellent  gymnasium,  but  physical  education  does  not 
seem  to  receive  careful  consideration  at  the  time  of  making  the 
schedule  and  of  registering  students,  hence  physical  training  at 
the  college  is  far  less  effective  than  it  should  be.  Physical  edu- 
cation for  men  at  the  University  is  housed  under  very  bad  conditions. 
There  is  a  law  in  Oklahoma  requiring  that  all  prespective  teachers 
be  instructed  in  hygiene.  The  law  is  ineffective  and  nowhere  in 
the  State  is  there  an  adequate  required  course  in  hygiene  given  to 
all  students. 

EECOMMENDATIONS. 

The  following  recommendations  are  made : 

First,  In  each  educational  institution  enrolling  1,000  or  more 
students,  there  should  be  at  least  one  physician  employed  on  full 
time  and  attached  either  to  the  physical  education  staff  or  to  the 
biological  science  division.  Such  officer  should  not  be  required 
to  give  instruction  in  any  other  subject  excepting  hygiene,  he  should 
have  charge  of  all  medical  examinations,  and  complete  oversight  of 
the  infirmary. 

Second,  In  institutions  with  an  enrollment  of  less  than  1,000 
a  physician  should  be  employed  for  a  definite  portion  of  his  time, 
with  like  responsibilities  and  authority. 

Third,  Full-time  women  physicians  should  be  employed  at 
the  Womans  College,  the  State  University,  and  the  Agricultural 
College,  who  shall  devote  their  entire  time  to  the  health  and  welfare 
of  the  women  students. 

Fourth,  Modern  and  adequate  infirmaries  should  be  maintained 
at  each  of  the  higher  educational  institutions. 

Fifth,  Physical  education  and  hygiene  should  receive  much 
greater  consideration  at  the  normal  schools  than  is  now  j^vcn. 
and  full  time  physical  education  instructors  should  be  employed. 
The  gymnasium  should  be  repaired  or  rebuilt,  and  supplied  with 
suitable  conveniences. 

Sixth,  For  the  men  students  at  the  State  University  there  should 
be  built  a  modern,  adequate  gymnasium,  to  the  end  that  all  men 
shall  have  ample  opportunity  for  the  finest  physical  development 
possible. 

Seventh,  Provision  should  be  made  immediately  for  sni+al.'le 
quarters  for  the  physical  education  of  women  at  the  Agricultural 
College. 


184  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

2.     STUDENT  HOUSING  AND  FEEDING. 

Financing  higher  education  in  a  new  State  is  usually  accomplish- 
ed with  more  or  less  difficulty.  It  is  usual  that  provision  for 
classrooms  come  first,  and  that  libraries  and  laboratories  are  pro- 
vided next.  Auditoriums,  gymnasiums,  and  dormitories  must 
usually  wait.  With  but  few  exceptions  the  educational  authorities 
in  the  newer  States  have  been  slow  to  recognize  the  obligation  to 
provide  satisfactory  living  conditions  for  college  students  as  well 
as  to  provide  for  intellectual  training. 

Not  infrequently  the  residents  of  a  college  town  look  upon  the 
profits  derived  from  housing  and  feeding  students  as  their  own 
peculiar  legitimate  and  unqestionable  prerequisites.  In  time  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  householders  make  student  boarding  their 
chief  occupation,  and  they  may  bring  no  little  pressure  to  bear 
against  any  proposed  infringement  upon  their  assumed  rights  to 
student  patronage.  As  student  enrollment  usually  increases  more 
rapidly  than  housing  facilities  develop,  it  is  but  a  question  of  time 
until  over-crowding  and  over-charging  are  coexistent.  Moreover, 
it  is  seldom  that  the  typical  student  rooming  house  is  properly  sup- 
plied with  bathing  facilities  and  other  modern  sanitary  conveniences. 

CONDITIONS  IN  OKLAHOMA. 

The  Oklahoma  towns  having  institutions  of  higher  learning  are 
not  different  from  those  of  other  States.  There  are  both  over- 
crowding and  unsatisfactory  feeding  conditions.  The  College  foi 
Women  is  the  only  State  institution  having  satisfactory  housing 
and  feeding  accomodations,  but  these  conditions  are  adequate  only 
for  the  present  student  body.  They  should  immediately  be  en- 
larged to  accommodate  all  who  desire  entrance.  If  it  is  deemed 
desirable  for  a  short  time  to  continue  the  admission  of  pupils  of 
high  school  grades,  these  pupils  should  be  placed  in  a  dormitory 
separate  from  the  college  group.  The  employment  of  a  trained 
dietitian  is  to  be  highly  commended. 

At  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  but  one-fifth  of 
the  women  students  are  housed  on  the  campus,  and  no  dining  hall 
is  provided  for  them.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  students  in  dor- 
mitories should  be  fed  in  a  dining  hall,  not  in  a  cafeteria.  Opportu- 
nity for  certain  social  training,  most  valuable  to  educated  men  and 
women,  is  lost  when  no  well  ordered  dining  hall  is  maintained. 

The  cafeteria  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  college  is 
conducted  at  a  financial  loss  to  the  State.  Little  can  be  said  to 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  186 

justify  the  conduct  of  a  college  cafeteria  or  dormitory  on  such  a 
basis.  This  cafeteria,  if  it  were  properly  equipped  and  organized, 
and  administered  by  a  trained  woman,  would  aid  greatly  in  regulat- 
ing the  cost  of  food,  and  in  establishing  standards  of  quality  and 
sanitation  in  food  service  for  the  entire  town  of  Stillwater. 

Attempts  have  been  and  much  has  been  accomplished  in  both 
housing  and  feeding  students  at  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Nor- 
mal University,  but  much  remains  to  be  done.  The  dormitories 
are  greatly  overcrowded,  so  much  so  as  to  endanger  not  only  the 
physical  but  also  the  moral  health  of  the  students.  Immediate 
relief  should  be  afforded.  The  provision  for  sanitary  preparation 
and  service  of  food  is  excellent,  and  the  authorities  are  to  be  com- 
mended for  their  marked  accomplishment.  This  school  is  the  only 
one  in  the  State  which  maintains  a  modern  and  sanitary  laundry 
thus  assuring  to  the  students  a  full  supply  of  clean  personal  and 
bed  linen. 

With  the  exceptions  mentioned  practically  nothing  has  been 
done  for  the  physical  comfort  of  the  students. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The  following  recommendations  are  made: 

First,  Oklahoma  should  immediately  accept  her  responsibility 
for  properly  housing  and  feeding  at  least  one-half  of  the  women 
students  in  the  high  educational  institutions. 

Second,  Cafeterias  administered  by  the  home  economics  depart- 
ments should  be  maintained  for  the  day  students  at  the  State  in- 
stitutions. 

Third,  As  soon  as  practicable  a  portion  of  the  men  students 
should  be  accomodated  in  college-owned  dormitories. 

The  value  of  properly  supervised  living  conditions  for  students 
is  social  as  well  as  physical,  and,  with  the  greatly  increased  num- 
ber of  young  people  separated  from  home  and  thrown  together  in 
their  college  years,  it  is  increasingly  important  that  every  possible 
provision  be  made  for  their  wise  guidance,  their  social  direction, 
and  their  phyiscal  well-being. 

VIII.     PHYSICAL  EQUIPMENT,  COSTS. 
1.     LAND. 

One  of  the  important  items  in  the  development  of  Oklahoma's 
higher  educational  institutions  is  that  of  a  sufficient  amount  of  land 
for  each.  None  of  the  schools  now  has  enough  land  for  its  ultimate 


186  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

needs.  In  most  cases  the  land  adjacent  to  the  campus  is  being 
rapidly  built  upon,  and  in  a  short  time  it  will  be  very  expensive  and 
prohibitive  to  secure  the  needed  land  contiguous  to  the  campuses. 
Not  only  should  there  be  adequate  campus  space  for  properly  lo- 
cating all  buildings  eventually  needed,  but  each  institution  should 
have  ample  land  for  playgrounds  for  all  students.  One  acre  of 
level  playground  for  each  25  students  of  maximum  enrollment 
should  be  available. 

The  following  statement  gives  the  amounts  of  land  at  the  var- 
ious institutions  and  the  amounts  which  the  Survey  recommends : 

No.  of  Acres 

Location  of  Institution      Present  Acreage  Recommended 

Norman  120  600 

Stillwater  80  campus  2000 

920  farm 

Chickasha  42  200 

Ada  20  125 

Alva  125 

Durant  25  125 

Edmond  13  125 

Tahlequah  125 

Weatherford  20  125 

Langston  160   (?)  250 

Miami  42  100 

Wilburton  40 

Goodwell  650  (?) 

2.     BUILDINGS  AND  SCIENTIFIC  EQUIPMENT. 

Buildings  at  all  State  higher  educational  institutions  are  in- 
adequate for  present  enrollments.  Some  buildings  are  wholly 
unfit  for  use  and  should  be  replaced  within  the  next  year.  Many 
new  buildings  will  have  to  be  erected  to  care  for  the  increasing 
enrollments  unless  such  enrollments  are  to  be  limited  by  the  physical 
equipment  of  the  institutions. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  State  building  program  for  all  in- 
stitutions of  higher  learning  be  adopted  for  a  period  of  ten  years 
with  a  view  to  providing  each  school  with  the  necessary  buildings. 
In  several  of  the  institutions  there  are  excellent  buildings,  well  de- 
signed for  their  purposes,  and  well  equipped  and  cared  for.  It 
seems  very  necessary,  however,  that  at  this  time  the  future  devel- 
opment of  each  institution  be  carefully  considered,  that  land  fully 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  187 

adequate  to  future  needs  be  secured,  and  that  comprehensive  build- 
ing and  landscape  plans  be  matured. 

Plans  for  the  future  of  the  University  and  the  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  College  should  look  forward  to  enrollments  of  from 
5,000  to  8,000  students  each;  for  the  College  for  Women,  1,000 
students;  and  for  each  of  the  State  teachers'  colleges  from  800  to 
1,000  college  students. 

It  is  further  recommended  that  no  money  for  buildings  be 
available  for  any  institution  until  a  satisfactory  plan  for  the  location 
of  all  buildings  contemplated  during  the  ten  year  period  is  prepared 
by  a  competent  architect,  and  until  an  acceptable  type  of  archi- 
tecture has  been  selected.  Other  recommendations  pertaining  to 
buildings  are  made  elsewhere. 

Throughout  the  several  State  institutions  generous  appropri- 
ations are  needed  to  provide  for  more  scientific  equipment.  While 
certain  departments  in  the  University  and  the  Agricultural  and  Me- 
chanical College  are  reasonably  well  equipped,  the  increase  in  at- 
tendance in  those  institutions  has  far  outstripped  the  equipment 
in  most  departments,  and  some  are  sadly  lacking.  None  of  the 
teachers'  colleges  has  scientific  equipment  that  would  compare 
favorably  with  that  in  a  first  class  city  high  school.  In  several 
instances  the  equpiment  was  greatly  neglected.  A  scientific  de- 
partment in  disorder  cannot  but  have  a  demoralizing  effect  on  young 
people. 

Attention  need  scarcely  be  directed  to  the  fact  that  when  once 
buildings  are  erected  a  sufficient  amount  of  money  should  be  available 
to  keep  them  in  complete  repair.  Adequate  janitor  service  should  be 
provided  for  all  educational  buildings.  State  buildings  cannot  be 
kept  in  proper  condition  by  students.  Slovenly  buildings  should 
not  be  tolerated.  In  all  women's  dormitories  proper  supervision 
of  rooms  should  be  provided,  to  see  that  all  rooms  are  properly 
kept,  and  there  should  be  sufficient  maid  service  to  care  for  all 
bath  rooms,  corridors,  and  living  rooms.  In  all  men's  dormitories 
matrons  should  be  in  charge  and  there  should  be  women  to  keep  the 
rooms  in  order  and  to  clean  them.  The  linens  for  boys'  rooms 
should  be  provided  by  the  institutions,  and  a  sufficient  rental  and 
laundry  fee  should  be  charged  to  cover  purchase  and  renewal  of 
linen  and  the  cost  of  laundry. 

3.     LIBRARIES. 

The  library  is  and  must  remain  a  principal  feature  of  any  edu- 
cational institution.  It  is  fundamental  to  high  standards  of  teach- 


188  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

ing  and  scholarship,  no  other  provision  can  supplant  it.  One  of  the 
greatest  needs  in  the  State  institutions  of  higher  education  is  bet- 
ter provision  for  libraries.  None  of  the  schools  has  enough  useful 
books  or  sufficient  library  accommodations. 

The  following  recommendations  are  made  : 

First,  The  funds  available  for  books  and  magazines  at  the 
several  institutions  should  be  as  follows  for  each  college  student 
of  the  average  enrollment  from  September  to  June  : 

University  $10.00  ($35,000  for  1923-24) 

Agricultural   and   Mechanical 

College  7.50  ($15,000  for  1923-24) 

College  for  Women 5.00  ($  3,000  for  1923-24) 

State  teachers'   colleges  5.00  ($3,000  each  for  1923-24) 

Colored      Agricultural       and 

Normal  University 5.00  ($  2,000  for  1923-24) 

Junior  College  5.00  ($  2,000  for  1923-24) 

Second,  The  amounts  available  for  salaries  of  the  library 
staffs  should  be  approximately  equal  to  the  amounts  available  for 
books  on  the  above  basis. 

Third,  At  each  institution  plans  for  the  enlargement  of  the 
present  library  building,  or  for  a  new  library  building,  should  be 
prepared  after  consultation  with  expert  librarians  of  larger  in- 
stitutions, which,  on  careful  estimate,  will  seat  in  the  reading  room 
from  15  to  20  per  cent  of  the  enrollment  of  the  institution,  and  which 
will  house  all  the  books  which  will  be  needed  as  the  institution  ex- 
pands in  the  future.  There  should  also  be  ample  provision  for 
seminar  rooms,  work  rooms  for  libraries,  etc. 

4.     THE  COST  OF  THE  PROGRAM. 

There  remains  to  be  considered  the  cost  of  an  adequate  .State 
system  of  higher  education  in  Oklahoma.  It  is  recommended  that 
for  land  and  buildings  at  each  institution  approximately  the  fol- 
lowing sums  be  made  available  annually  for  ten  years : 

State  University $750,000 

Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  450,000 

College  for  Women 200,000 

Each  State  teachers'  college 125,000 

Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University  125,000 

In  general  each  institution  should  have,  when  properly  equip- 
ped, educational  buildings  totaling  in  cost  about  $1,000.00  for  each 
full-time  college  student  of  the  average  enrollment  from  Septem- 


HIGHER  EDUCATION 


189 


ber  to  June,  and  in  addition  such  dormitories  and  other  buildings  as 
are  necessary  to  meet  the  needs.  1. 

1.     The  number  of  students  enrolled  on  October  15  is  very  near  the  average 
number  enrolled  throughout  the  year. 

Using  a  per  capita  basis  a  reasonable  estimate  can  also  be 
made  for  the  operation  and  upkeep  of  the  institutions.  For  the 
proper  maintenance  and  upkeep  of  the  various  institutions  the  fol- 
lowing per  capita  of  college  students  of  average  enrollment  from 
September  to  June  should  be  available : 

For   the    University   $350  to  $400  per  student 

For  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 

College  $350  to  $400  per  student 

For  the  College  for  Women  $300  per  student 

For  the  State  teachers'    colleges  $300  per  student 

For  the  Colored     Agricultural     and 

Normal  University  $250  per  student 

If  the  several  institutions  are  to  continue  their  secondary  school 
work  the  allowance  for  such  students  should  not  exceed  $100  per 
capita. 

TABLE    20.— FUNDS    AVAILABLE    FOR    USE,    YEAR    ENDED 
JUNE   30,    1922. 


Location  of 
Institutions 

For  instruction 
and1  adminis- 
tration (not  in- 
cluding- receipts 
for  board  and 
lodging)  § 

For  buildings 
and  other  per- 
m  a  n  e  n  t  im- 
provements 

Total  funds 
available 

gi 
|ri 

o>  -a    >    ' 
U  c  5  o 

ctf       -*-j  w 

•£  -a  ° 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

Norman    

1,258,135 

80,219 

1,338,354 

99,202 

Stillwater    

625,590 

40,650 

1,160,358* 

59,020 

Chickasha 

121,214 

121,214 

20,032 

Ada 

79  807 

79,807 

4,191 

Alva 

72  230 

72,230 

Durant 

88  561 

3  334 

91  895 

3  966 

Edmond 

119  471 

4  750 

124  2'21 

13,096 

Tahlequah 

62  830 

8  000 

70  830 

2  220 

Weatherford 

69,992 

69,992 

1,461 

Langston 

90,616 

..    .. 
23,750 

114,366 

37,552 

Wilburton 

36,140 

8,740 

44,880 

Miami 

20,000 

8,000 

28,000 

Goodwiell     

39,719 

50.000 

89,719 

1,361 

29,404 

Total    

2,684,305 

227,443 

3,405,866 

145,529 

125,976 

*Includes  $48,129  for  agricultural  experiment  stations  and  $445,989  for  agri- 
cultural and  home  economics  extension. 

§This  table  includes  funds  for  summer  schools,  for  extension  and  correspond- 
ence work,  and  for  other  activities.  The  amount  available  for  resident 
instruction  during  the  year  from  September  to  June  is  considerably  less 
than  that  given  in  column  2. 


190  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Table  20  sets  forth  the  amounts  of  funds  available  at  the  State 
institutions  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1922. 

This  year,  1922-23,  with  somewhat  more  than  10,500  enrolled, 
not  including  those  for  training  school  purposes,  and  including  about 
7,900  of  college  grade,  there  is  available  from  all  sources  for  their 
education  about  $1,790,000.00.  On  the  basis  suggested  above,  about 
$3,000,000.00  for  salaries,  operation  and  upkeep  is  needed  to  pro- 
vide properly  for  the  work.  For  the  year  1923-24,  with  a  decrease 
in  the  enrollment  of  secondary  students  and  a  reasonable  increase 
in  the  enrollment  of  college  students,  it  seems  probable  that  these  in- 
stitutions will  enroll  approximately  11,000  students,  of  whom  9,500 
will  be  of  college  rank,  and  appropriations  of  from  $3,350,000.00 
to  $3,400,000.00  should  be  available. 

The  following  are  the  estimated  needs  for  operation  and  upkeep 
of  the  various  schools  for  the  year  1923-24: 

University $1,450,000 

Agricultural  and  Mechanical   College 800,000 

College  for  Women  125,000 

State  teachers'  colleges: 

Central 180,000 

East  Central 150,000 

Southeastern 150,000 

Norteastern 125,000 

Northwestern   125,000 

Southwestern 125,000 

These  estimates  do  not  include  appropriations  for  summer  terms, 
extension  work,  experiment  station  and  research  work,  hospital, 
and  other  necessary  items.  Additional  amounts  should  be  includ- 
ed for  such  purposes. 

5.     REVENUES. 

Three  recommendations  are  made  pertaining  to  revenues: 

First,  the  income  derived  from  the  production  taxes  on  oil  and 
minerals  should  be  invested  in  a  State  building  program.  In  such 
a  program  other  State  institutions  besides  those  for  higher  educa- 
tion should  be  included.  To  expend  this  income  in  a  way  other 
than  in  a  permanent  investment  seems  very  unwise. 

Second,  At  least  a  part  of  the  money  for  higher  education  should 
be  provided  by  means  of  a  mileage  tax.  Such  a  tax  provides  a 


HIGHER  EDUCATION  191 

definite  amount  which  can  form  the  basis  of  planning. 

Third,  The  income  from  the  various  Federal  land  grants  should 
be  made  available  to  the  institutions  concerned  without  appropri- 
ation by  the  State  legislature.  These  grants  are  for  specific  pur- 
poses. To  include  them  in  the  appropriation  bills  can  serve  no 
good  end  and  it  makes  it  appear  that  these  moneys  are  raised  by 
taxation. 

Additional  data  concerning  the  State  institutions  will  be  found 
in  Tables  21-22-23  and  24. 


192 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


TABLE   21.— RESIDENT   STUDENTS   DISTRIBUTED  ACCORDING   TO 
RESIDENCE.    (COLLEGE    STUDENTS    ONLY). 


Counties 
and 
States 

LOCATION  OF  INSTITUTION 

Norman 

Stillwater 

Chickasha 

Wilburton 

Miami 

oS 
•d 

< 

d 
> 

< 

Durant 

Edmond 

Tahlequah 

Weatherford 

Langston 

Goodwell 

"3 
o 

Counties 
in  Okla. 
Adair 
Altalfa 
Atoka 
Beaver 
Beckham 

Blaine 
Bryan 
Caddo 
Canadian 
Carter 

Cherokee 
Choctaw 
Cimarron 
Cleveland 
Coal 

Comanche 
Cotton 
Craig 
Creek 
Custer 

Delaware 
Dewey 
Ellis 
Garfield 
Garvin 

Grady 
Grant 
Greer 
Harmon 
Harper 

Haskell 
Hughes 
Jackson 
Jefferson 
Johnston 

Kay 
Kingfisher 
Kiowa 
Latimer 
Le   More 

6 

40 
8 
9 
27 

40 
20 
45 
48 
64 

14 
20 
1 
/55 
15 

46 

28 
16 
66 
22 

9 
8 
7 
52 
54 

58 
24 
2'9 
10 
4 

.13 
24 
38 

to 

10 

69 
20 
48 
9 
20 

2 

28 

4 
16 

21 
4 
24 
17 
15 

• 

40 



.... 

.... 

48 
90 
34 
18 
48 

85 
271 
125 
99 
130 

83 
71 
7 
767 
40 

81 
44 
71 
145 
193 

43 
25 
24 
151 
99 

243 
62 
79 
30 

11 

51 
60 
73 
32 

52 

113 
61 
97 
27 
54 

1 

21 

26 

4 

1 

2 

3 

2 

2 

5 

9 

246 

6 

1 

20 

7 
1 

16 
24 
14 

69 

20 
2 

1 
5 

.... 

.... 

.... 





31 

9 

10 

1 

30 

1 

4 

2 

4 
2 

12 
6 
10 
34 
34 

2 
4 
5 
79 
9 

40 
28 
22 
7 
1 

4 
13 
16 
10 

7 

21 

22 
15 

2 

5 

5 

2 

1 

13 



10 



3 
4 

.... 



15 
1 

2 

1 

4 

40 
30 

32 

1 
128 

1 
2 

.... 

6 
6 

.... 







6 
3 

5 
11 
11 



2 
1 
5 
13 

15 
6 

/» 

1 

6 

4 
10 

129 
1 
11 
6 

— 

2 

11 

1 

3 

11 
6 

.... 

6 

2 
1 
7 
7 
2 

6 
6 
13 

2 

7 
3 

4. 

15 
9 

8 

30 

.... 

21 

5 

.... 

.... 

2 
17 

1 

.... 

12 

1 



1 
13 

3 

6 

12 
22 

5 

3 

2 

2 



.... 

HIGHER  EDUCATION 


193 


Counties 
and 
States 

LOCATION  OP  INSTITUTION 

Norman 

Stillwater 

Chickasha 

Wilburton 

Miami 

d 

3 

o3 

> 

<i 

Durant 

Edmond 

Tahlequah 

Weatherford 

Langston 

Goodwell 

3 

"o 

Counties 
in  Okla. 
Lincoln 
Logan 
Love 
Major 
Marshall 

Mayes 
McClain 
McCurtain 
Mclntosh 
Murray 

Muskogee 
Noble 
Nowata 
Okfuskee 
Oklahoma 

Okmulgee 
Osage 
Ottawa 
Pawnee 
Payne 

Pittsburg 
Pontotoc 
Pottawatomie 
Pushmataha 
Roger   Mills 

Rogers 
Seminole 
Sequoyah 
Stephens 
Texas 

Tillman 
Tulsa 
Wagoner 
Washington 
Washita 
Woods 
Woodward 
Counties  not 
specified 

Total  from 
Oklahoma 

28 
46 
13 
6 
9 

6 
44 
19 
19 
12 

86 
15 
13 
30 
394 

66 
40 
12 
17 
19 

60 
13 
5,3 
4 
10 

17 
9 
5 
51 

7 

29 
151 

20 
29 
18 
19 
9 

45 

25 

12 

2 

6 
7 
11 
4 
5 

22 
20 
13 

7 
47 

10 
5 
9 
26 
394 

10 
6 

28 
1 
3 

14 
5 
2 
20 
2 

8 
36 
4 
11 
4 
6 
18 

5 
1 
1 

3 

28 
21 
4 

5 

8     .... 
18    .... 

119 
111 
27 
31 
46 

50 
61 
33 
56 
28 

237 
37 
47 
55 
639 

108 
64 
175 
49 

427 

106 
212 
116 
28 
23 

68 
47 
44 
114 
36 

59 
227 
38 
73 
53 
201 
54 

28 
7764 

9 

.... 

.... 



12 

1 

.  j 

32 

3 
6 
1 

35 

4 

2 

.... 

18 

10 



5 

•-• 

5 

8 
2 
2 
1 
11 

2 
3 
2 
1 

6 

1 

115 

5 

.... 

1 

1 
12 
173 

3 

3 
11 

7 
1 
12 

13 



4 
fl 

3 

3 

1 

2 

5 
12 

74 

2 



8 

17 
1 

.... 

1 

2 

5 

77 

1 

1 

18 
1 

2 

6 
1 

2 

1 
1 
1 



4 
2 

.... 

.... 

.... 

189 
18 

23 

1 

3 

4 

1 

8 

.... 

.... 

7 
1 

27 

.... 

.... 

26 

2 

2 

5 

1 
17 

34 



21 

2 

25 

1 
3 
1 

1 
2 

16 
9 
1 

7 

26 

7 
25 

5 

1 

5 

1 



29 

176 
23 

292 

2 

.... 

1 

18 
326 

1 

10 
38 

3204 

1400 

379 

8 

89 

510 

531 

634 

255 

98 

S.   S.   7 


194 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


Counties 
and 
States 

LOCATION  OF  INSTITUTION 

Norman 

Stillwater 

Chickasha 

Wilburton 

Miami 

« 

'O 

«! 

oj 
> 

5 

Durant 

Edmond 

Tahlequah 

Weatherford 

Langs  ton 

Goodwell 

1 

Other  States 
Alabama 
Arkansas 
Colorado 
California 
Dist.  of  Col. 

Georgia 
Idaho 
Illinois 
Indiana 
Iowa 

Kansas 
Kentucky 
Louisiana 
Massachusetts 
Michigan 

Minnesota 
Mississippi 
Missouri 
Montana 
Nebraska 

New  Jersey 
New  Mexico 
New  York 
N.  Carolina 
Ohio 

Oregon 
S.  Carolina 
South  Dakota 
Tennessee 
Texas 

Virginia 
Washington 
Wisconsin 
Wyoming 
States  not 
specified 
Total  from 
other  States 

Fo'n  countries 
Grand    Total 

3 

26 
1 
1 

2 

3 

100 
9 

2 
1 

2 
2 
11 
3 
4 

56 

8 
6 

2 
2 

3 
5 
46 
1 

1 

3 
5 
3 
1 
1 

1 
1 
1 
5 
143 

1 
2 
2 
1 

1 
438 
15 
8217 

19 
4 

1 
1 

1 

22 
1 

4 
2 

26 

1 



1 

1 



2 

6 
2 

2 

27 

4 
1 
1 

10 
1 

1 

1 
1 

.1 

6 

5 

2 

4 
5 

1 

1 

2 
2 
1 

2 
3 
20 
1 
1 

3 
4 
3 

4 

1 

- 

1 

1 

1 
16 

5 

2 

3 



1 



1 

1 

1 
1 

1 

67 

4 
22 

1 

4 

1 



18 

10 

1 

1 

4 

3 

7 

1 

2 

1 



1 

1 

8 

46 

185 
9 
3398 

78 
6 
1484 

8 
387 

1 

4 

1 

7 

45 

29 

56 

6 

4 

9 

93 

333 

299 

555 

560 

690 

261 

102 

HIGHER  EDUCATION 


195 


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196 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


TABLE    22.— RESIDENT    ENROLLMENTS    IN   FIRST    SEMESTER    OF 
1915-16,  1921-22,  AND  NOVEMBER  1922. 


Locations 
of 

Institutions 

High  School 
Students 

Students  above  high 
school  grade 

1915-16 

1921-22 

1922-23 

1915-16 

1921-22 

1922-23 

Norman 

443 
198 

"  72 
215 
194 
227 
313 

149 
226 
314 

312 
146 

14 
333 
238 
193 
322 
258 
169 
229 
279 

1,104 
641 
80 
5 

154 
121 
120 
417 

85 
33*t 

3,013 
1,100 
322 
205 
5,5 
321 
215 
447 
352 

223 
112 
29 

1,539 
388 
198 
93 
460 
299 
556 
567 
197 
26] 
115 
44 

Stillwater    

363 

280 

Chickasha    .. 

Wilburton    . 

Miami 

Ada 

209 
169 
229 
561 

Alva 

Durant 

Edmond    

Tahlequah 

Weatherford  

206 
142t 
191 

2,350 

La.ng'ston 

Goodwell    

Total  .. 

2,351 

2,493 

2.760 

6.394 

4.717 

*Not  complete.     Records  lost. 
tFigures  are  for  1916-17. 


TABLE  24.— DISTRIBUTION  OF  CLASSES   OF  COLLEGE   GRADE 
ACCORDING   TO    ENROLLMENT. 


Location  of 


Enrollments  in  classes 


Institutions 

1-5 

6-10 

11-20 

21-30 

31-40 

41-50 

51-60 

61-70 

Over  70 

Norman  
Stillwater    .... 
Chickasha 

75 

63 

54 
44 

103 
79 

101 
>  39 

101 
48 

53 

32 

21 
16 

10 
12 

26 
25 

Wilburton 

23 

8 

4 

4 

Miami    

5 

6 

6 

2 

2 

1 

1 

Ada  , 

7 

9 

14 

8 

6 

8 

4 

3 

3 

Alva 

14 

13 

9 

6 

5 

5 

2 

2 

Durant 

4 

1 

12 

10 

4 

5 

1 

5 

Edmond  
Tahlequah  .... 
Weatherford 
Langston  
Goodwell    .... 

26 
14 
7 
5 
17 

11 
17 
13 
4 
6 

16 
9 

18 
7 
5 

14 
6 
6 
4 
1 

17 
4 
6 

4 

12 
1 
3 

4 

8 

2 
2 

5 
3 

10 

i 

Total  

2'60 

186 

282 

201 

197 

124 

57 

33 

72 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

INTRODUCTION. 

According  to  the  Census  differentation  between  rural  and  urban 
approximately  75  per  cent  of  Oklahoma's  population  is  classed  as 
rural.  The  problem  of  developing  adequate  educational  facilities 
for  the  rural  population  is  an  important  one  in  any  State  It  is 
especially  important  in  a  State  like  Oklahoma  in  which  there  are 
few  cities  and  so  large  a  proportion  of  the  people  live  on  farms 
or  in  small  towns  and  villages.  Its  significance  is  accentuated 
in  Oklahoma  by  the  pioneer  conditions  that  still  obtain  in  a  large 
share  of  the  farming  communities,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  farms 
in  many  sections  of  the  State  have  been  under  cultivation  a  rel- 
atively short  time,  and  to  the  great  variations  in  wealth  and  tax- 
able property  that  is  available  for  the  support  of  schools  in  different 
parts  of  the  State.  As  a  result  many  of  the  farmers  are  not  as 
yet  well  established.  They  still  feel  the  shortage  of  funds  likely 
to  characterize  all  young  farming  communities.  There  is  also 
to  be  found  a  marked  percentage  of  transients  among  the  farmers. 
Their  periods  of  residence  in  a  community  is  so  brief  that  they  are 
not  likely  to  become  deeply  interested  in  such  institutions  as  the 
school. 

These  conditions  make  it  a  matter  of  special  importance  that 
the  State  of  Oklahoma  give  careful  consideration  to  its  rural  schools 
in  the  formulation  of  an  educational  program.  There  should  be  recog- 
nition of  the  fact  that  children  in  the  country  districts  are  en- 
titled to  educational  opportunities  equal  to  those  offered  chil- 
dren in  the  city. 

Concretely  this  will  manifest  itself  in  such  things  as  the  fol- 
lowing: as  long  a  school  term,  as  well  trained  teachers,  as  good 
buildings  and  equipment,  in  the  country  as  in  the  city.  The  child 
reared  in  the  country  should  not  be  handicapped  as  a  result  of  at- 
tendance on  inadequate  schools  if  he  decides  to  engage  in  the 
professions  or  industrial  vocations.  Those  who  decide  to  cast  their 
lot  with  the  country  school  should  have  obtained  in  their  school  life  a 

197 


198  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

broad  preparation  for  the  community,  State,  and  national  responsi- 
bilities, and  some  specific  training  for  their  responsibilities  on  the 
farm  and  in  the  farm  home. 

No  democratic  State  can  afford  permanently  to  maintain  a  lower 
standard  of  educational  opportunity  for  its  rural  population  than 
is  established  for  its  urban  citizenry,  least  of  all  a  State  that  is 
so  largely  rural  as  is  Oklahoma.  There  is  little  question  that  in 
important  respects  the  school  facilities  of  the  rural  portions  of  the 
State  are  on  the  average  below  those  of  the  cities.  The  State  can- 
not hope  to  remedy  this  situation  unless  it  is  willing  to  recognize  the 
obstacles  that  rural  communities  in  general  have  to  face  in  develop- 
ing schools,  and  to  assist  them  from  State  funds ;  to  set  up  an  edu- 
cational organization  adequate  to  meet  the  present  day  educational 
demands,  and  entirely  free  from  the  influence  of  partisan  politics; 
and  finally,  to  establish  as  high  standards  for  teaching  service  in 
country  schools  as  obtain  in  other  schools  of  the  State. 

The  members  of  the  staff  assigned  to  investigate  rural  school 
conditions  visited  schools  in  25  counties,  selected  with  the  advice 
and  assistance  of  members  of  the  State  department  and  the  secretary 
of  the  Survey  Commission.  They  were  chosen  because  they  were 
believed  to  be  representative  of  all  sections  and  of  all  varying  condi- 
tions to  be  found  in  the  State.  So  far  as  possible  schools  selected 
by  county  superintendents  as  typical  of  the  different  types  of  schools 
found  in  counties  and  communities  typical  of  general  conditions  of 
living  were  visited.  Conferences  and  discussions  were  held  at 
frequent  intervals ;  State  and  local  officials  were  consulted  for  advice 
and  information ;  data  and  literature  on  educational  conditions  were 
studied  as  carefully  as  possible.  It  is  believed,  therefore,  that  the 
conditions  are  as  set  forth,  and  that  the  recommendations  offered 
are  based  on  sound  educational  principles  and  knowledge  of  the 
needs  of  the  people  of  the  State.  (See  Fig.  17). 


THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS 


199 


J.. 


s 


E 


200  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

The  State  constitution  charges  the  legislature  with  the  duty 
of  providing  a  State  system  of  free  schools  for  the  education  of  the 
children  of  the  State.  A  system  of  schools  pre-supposes  equal  at- 
tention to  the  educational  welfare  of  all  children  in  it  without  re- 
gard to  the  particular  section  in  which  they  live.  Unless  this  is 
true  there  is  no  real  system. 

If,  for  example,  a  citizen  contemplating  moving  into  a  city— 
as  Tulsa  or  Oklahoma  City — in  appraising  its  desirability  as  a 
residence  wishes  to  consider  the  efficiency  of  its  school  system, 
it  is  not  essential  to  make  a  study  of  schools  in  the  different  sections 
of  the  city.  One  naturally  supposes  that  in  whatever  seel  ion 
he  choose  a  residence  he  will  find  approximately  equivalent  school 
advantages  for  his  children.  It  would  be  quite  exceptional  if  not 
unparalleled  to  find  different  standards  as  to  quality  of  instruction ; 
length  of  term ;  salary  of  teachers ;  courses  of  study,  and  the  like,  in 
different  sections  of  the  same  city.  In  other  words,  the  idea  of  a 
system  contemplates  in  itself  attainment  of  certain  standards  of 
equal,  or  approximately  equal,  effectiveness  in  all  its  parts. 

In  a  similar  manner  we  have  a  right  to  expect  that  a  State  sys- 
tem, when  one  exists,  sets  up  certain  minimum  standards  which  as- 
sure reasonable  effectiveness  of  school  facilities  to  all  children 
within  its  borders,  regardless  of  any  accident  of  location,  and  that 
it  provides  for  and  insists  on  their  maintenance.  Reasonable  stand- 
ards for  a  modern  State  system  offering  equivalent  educational 
opportunity  for  all  children  may  be  expected  to  include  a  nine- 
months  term,  qualified  teachers,  buildings  insuring  the  health  and 
safety  of  children,  adequate  equipment,  and  the  like,  all  judged  in 
the  light  of  modern  school  conditions  and  school  practice. 

DISTRICT  SYSTEM. 

What  Oklahoma  really  has  done  is  to  establish,  not  a  State 
system,  but  a  large  number  of  small  systems  called  districts,  each  one 
practically  a  law  unto  itself  and  left  by  the  State  to  shift  for  itself 
both  as  to  support  and  educational  standards.  The  district  may  in- 
clude rich  lands,  railroads,  oil  fields,  or  corporation  property  and, 
therefore,  be  able  to  provide  liberally,  even  extravagantly  for  school 
buildings,  pay  ample  salaries,  and  provide  for  all  the  requisites  of 
a  modern  school  system,  with  a  reasonable — sometimes  even  a  very 
IOWT — tax  levy.  Or,  on  the  other  hand,  a  district  may  be  poor  in 


THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  201 

tax  resources  but  rich  in  children,  and  even  with  a  maximum  tax 
levy  unable  to  support  even  reasonably  good  schools. 

Inconsistencies  and  injustices  due  to  the  unequal  opportunity 
furnished  by  the  different  districts  are  common  throughout  the 
State.  In  one  county,  for  example,  high  school  privileges  were  de- 
nied to  more  than  half  those  eligible  because  the  district  from  which 
the  children  came  was  too  poor  even  with  a  maximum  levy  to  raise 
money  enough  to  pay  their  tuition  in  nearby  districts  maintaining 
high  schools.  On  the  other  hand,  counties  visited  were  found  rich 
enough  and  progressive  enough  to  have  an  accredited  high  school 
within  six  miles  of  every  child  in  the  county.  In  practically  every 
county  in  the  State  there  are  districts  side  by  side,  often  including 
children  living  on  adjoining  farms  but  in  different  districts,  in  one 
family  of  which  the  children  may  attend  school  nine  months  in  com- 
fortable modern  buildings  with  adequate  equipment,  qualified  teach- 
ers, and  a  four-year  high  school ;  while  the  children  of  the  neighbor- 
ing family  in  the  adjoining  district  attend  school  in  poor  buildings, 
for  a  short  term,  to  a  teacher  with  little  education  beyond  that  which 
the  children  themselves  have,  and  with  no  opportunity  for  education 
beyond  the  grades  unless  their  parents  can  afford  to  pay  for  it  away 
from  home.  Examples  of  this  kind  could  be  multiplied.  In  a 
number  of  counties  visited  there  are  districts  in  which  the  valuation 
is  so  low  that  it  is  impossible  to  raise  more  than  a  few  hundred  dol- 
lars for  the  support  of  the  school  even  with  the  maximum  levy. 

Table  25  sets  forth  certain  differences  among  districts  which  are 
detrimental  to  rural  schools.  Grade  of  certificate  held  is  one  way 
of  judging  educational  qualifications  of  teachers.  The  table  shows 
that  all  teachers  in  independent  districts  have  first  grade  certifi- 
cates— the  highest  kind  issued.  The  percentage  decreases,  with  the 
lowest  proportion  in  the  ungraded  rural  schools.  The  number  of 
third  grade  or  lowest  grade  certificate  is  lowest  in  independent  dis- 
tricts and  increases,  reaching  the  highest  proportion  in  ungraded 
rural  districts.  The  table  shows,  also,  proportionate  decreases  in 
average  annual  salaries,  tax  levies  and  other  items  as  among  classes 
of  districts,  the  rural  ungraded  districts  having  the  most  unfavorable 
conditions  in  all  cases. 


202 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


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THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  203 

Inadequacy  of  the  district  system  is  not  confined  to  any  single 
feature  but  is  evident  in  every  phase  of  educational  endeavor.  In- 
stead of  assuring  a  high  class  personnel  with  administrators,  super- 
visors and  teachers ;  economical  business  management,  and  effective 
results,  it  puts  a  premium  on  inefficiency  all  along  the  line.  From 
the  gross  inequalities  which  it  brings  about  rural  children  suffer 
most.  This  is  true  in  all  States  in  which  it  exists,  but,  owing  to 
varying  industrial  conditions  in  Oklahoma,  to  the  abundance  of  nat- 
ural resources  in  some  parts  of  the  State  and  lack  of  them  in  others, 
the  inequalities  in  taxable  property  and  in  the  resulting  educational 
opportunities  are  more  marked  than  in  many  other  States,  Oklahoma 
has  especial  need  for  making  a  supreme  effort  for  equalizing  educa- 
tional opportunity  among  the  children. 

COUNTY  SCHOOL  SYSTEM. 

While  the  district  school  trustees  are  responsible  for  the  em- 
ployment of  teachers,  the  type  of  building  furnished,  the  course  of 
study,  and  the  general  quality  of  the  school,  there  is  in  each  county 
a  county  superintendent  who  has  general  supervision  over  all  but 
independent  districts,  and  who  has  certain  administrative  and  ad- 
visory duties  as  set  forth  in  the  statutes  and  assigned  by  common 
practice. 

The  county  superintendents  in  Oklahoma  are  elected  at  large 
on  a  regular  party  ticket  at  the  general  election,  for  a  term  of 
two  years,  with  salaries  ranging  from  $1,200  to  $3,000.  No  qualifi- 
cations are  exacted  from  candidates  for  the  positions  except  the 
possession  of  a  first  grade  county  certificate.  This  certificate  is 
easily  obtained  and  requires  little  academic  and  no  professional 
preparation. 

The  elective  system  for  selecting  superintendents  is  a  pernicious 
one.  So  long  as  it  exists  there  is  every  reason  to  except  that  the 
management  of  the  schools  will  be  involved  in  party  politics  and 
will  suffer  all  the  evils  attendant  on  such  a  situation.  Practical 
educators  with  professional  preparation,  and  successful  experience 
will  not  seek  positions  as  superintendents.  If,  by  accident,  a  capable 
man  or  woman  is  elected  to  the  office,  he  cannot  devote  himself 
wholeheartedly  to  educational  work  without  danger  of  defeat  at 
the  next  election.  He  must  spend  much  of  the  time  needed  for 
educational  work  in  repairing  his  policital  fences.  This  is  in- 
evitable under  the  elective  system.  That  Oklahoma  superintendents 
are  no  exception  to  the  rule  in  this  respect  was  evident  to  the 


204 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


survey  staff  visiting  schools  on  the  eve  of  a  general  election.  Politics 
was  often  of  greater  concern  to  superintendents  than  their  edu- 
cational duties,  though  the  time  was  early  fall  when  the  work  of 
getting  schools  started  was  in  its  most  important  stage. 

TABLE  26— SALARIES  PAID  TO  OKLAHOMA  COUNTY 
SUPERINTENDENTS. 

Salaries  No.  Supts. 

Receiving 

$1,200 1 

$1,300 1 

$1,400 3 

$1,500 _       5 

$1,600 6 

$1,700 9 

$1,800 ! 20 

$1,900 7 

$2,000 7 

$2,100 7 

$2,200 5 

$2,300 - 

$2,400 

$2,500 _ _ 

$2,600 

$2,700 _ 

$2,800 _ 

$2,900 

$3,000 6 

$3,100 

$3,200 

Total 77 

Salaries 
In  Groups 

$1,200-1,500 8 

$1,500-1,800 32 

$1,800-2,300 31 

3,000 6 

Median  salary $1,500-1,800 

Average  years'  service  by  the  county  Superinten- 
dents now  serving 3.7 


THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  205 

The  method  of  selection  is  not  the  only  serious  obstacle  to 
securing  efficient  and  permanent  superintendents,  the  salaries  paid 
these  officers  are  entirely  inadequate,  in  many  instances  below  that 
of  teachers,  principals  and  district  superintendents  working  under 
their  direction  (See  table  26). 

The  average  term  of  the  county  superintendents  now  serving, 
provided  all  of  them  complete  the  term  for  which  they  were  elected 
in  1921,  and  which  ends  July,  1923,  is  3.7  years.  This  average  is 
raised  by  the  occasional  few  among  the  group  who  have  served 
long  periods;  in  one  or  two  cases  as  much  as  12  years.  Many 
serve  only  two  years,  relatively  few  four  or  six.  The  average 
biennial  turnover  for  the  past  ten  years  is  approximately  50  per 
cent.  Information  gathered  in  November  before  the  election  re- 
turns were  announced  show  49  of  the  79  superintendents  are  candi- 
dates for  reelection.  If  all  these  are  elected  the  turnover  will  be 
approximately  37  per  cent. 

LONGER  TERM  OF  OFFICE  ESSENTIAL. 

Neither  the  assured  tenure  of  two  years  nor  the  average  term 
of  3y2  years  is  long  enough  to  make  it  possible  to  formulate  and 
carry  out  plans  for  improving  the  county  system  extending  over  a 
period  of  years.  For  this  reason  building  programs,  salary 
schedules,  reorganization  projects  and  other  progressive  measures, 
so  frequently  found  in  city  systems,  are  practically  unknown  in 
rural  systems.  Continuous  leadership  is  impossible  when  county 
superintendents,  from  whom  it  should  be  expected,  are  subjected 
to  the  probability  of  a  change  at  the  close  of  each  two  year  term. 
Each  successive  election  finds  many  capable  superintendents  dropp- 
ing out  of  the  race,  some  because  of  the  disagreeable  necessity  of 
a  political  campaign  with  issues  entirely  foreign  to  educational 
considerations,  some  because  of  low  salaries  and  others  because  of 
failure  of  renomination  or  reelection. 

The  few  superintendents  who  are  reelected  for  three  or  more 
successive  terms  are  able  to  accomplish  more  than  those  with  short 
terms;  yet  they,  too,  are  seriously  handicapped  by  lack  of  admini- 
strative authority,  time,  and  facilities  to  put  educational  policies  in 
operation.  The  selection  and  placing  of  teachers  is  a  case  in  point. 
The  county  superintendent  should  be  responsible  for  the  quality  of 
instruction  given  in  schools;  that  is  his  most  important  function. 
Yet  with  no  authority  to  select  or  place  teachers  in  positions  in 
which  they  are  best  fitted  to  render  good  service  he  is  handicapped  in 


206  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

doing  this  from  the  beginning.  Add  to  this  the  fact  that  only  three 
of  58  superintendents  reporting  to  the  Bureau  had  time  to  make  two 
visits  a  year  to  each  school  because  of  the  extent  of  territory  to  be 
covered,  and  one  realizes  the  impossibility  of  expecting  county 
superintendents  to  be  of  any  but  nominal  assistance  to  teachers  in 
organizing  schools  and  teaching  children  so  long  as  present  con- 
ditions continue. 

The  county  superintendent  is  equally  impotent  in  the  admini- 
stration of  other  educational  policies  the  enumeration  of  which  space 
forbids. 

The  county  superintendency  is  one  of  the  most  important 
positions  in  the  whole  school  system.  The  educational  welfare  of 
thousands  of  rural  children  in  Oklahoma  is  dependent  upon  the 
efficiency  of  the  77  county  superintendents  selected  to  administer 
and  supervise  the  rural  schools.  There  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  the  people  of  the  State  believe  in  educating  their  children  and 
are  willing  to  spend  their  money  liberally  to  this  end. 

At  present  they  are  not  spending  money  for  schools  wisely  and 
economically.  If  they  wish  to  receive  the  utmost  in  educational 
value  for  the  money  expended  the  best  means  to  that  end  is  to  set 
up  administrative  machinery  which  will  provide  for  real  systems  of 
rural  schools,  large  enough  in  valuation,  territory,  and  scholastic 
population  to  make  efficiency  possible  and  then  place  a  professional 
educator  in  charge. 

This  officer  should  be  selected  with  at  least  as  much  care  as 
city  superintendents  are  now  selected  and  in  a  similar  way.  Selec- 
tion should  be  on  the  basis  of  educational  preparation,  successful 
experience,  and  special  fitness  for  the  position  in  which  the  superin- 
tendent is  to  serve.  Both  men  and  women  should  be  eligible  and 
the  selecting  board  should  search  the  State  and  other  States,  if 
necessary,  to  secure  the  best  possible  person.  Definite  qualifications 
should  be  exacted  in  the  certification  law,  and  should  include  grad- 
uate courses  and  successful  experience  in  administration  and  super- 
vision. The  salary  should  be  such  as  will  secure  and  retain  the  best 
qualified  persons  available,  and  the  term  should  be  during  good 
service.  Provision  for  an  adequate  staff  of  professional  and  clerical 
assistants,  for  suitable  office  accommodations,  and  for  travel  ex- 
penses should  be  made. 

The  administrative  and  supervisory  staff  with  salaries  in  a 
county  of  100  teachers  should  be  approximately  as  follows : 


THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  207 

Officer  Salary 

The  county  superintendent $  4,000 

1  secretary  to  county  superintendent 1,500 

1  clerk  .._ 1,000 

3  professional     supervisory     assistants     at 

$2,400  each  7,200 

Travel  expense  fund  2,000 


Total $15,700 

THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  AND  THE  STATE  DEPARTMENT  OF 

EDUCATION. 

The  county  superintendents  of  schools  look  to  the  State  depart- 
ment for  direction  and  guidance  in  their  administrative  responsibili- 
ties, for  leadership  in  the  accomplishment  of  new  and  progressive 
ideals  in  educational  organization  and  practice,  and  for  direct  as- 
sistance in  carrying  on  their  work  among  the  people  of  their  com- 
munity and  in  the  schools.  The  States  which  are  making  the  great- 
est progress  in  promoting  efficiency  of  schools  for  country  children 
at  the  present  time  owe  much  of  their  accomplishment  to  strong 
educational  leadership  from  the  State  department  of  education. 

Oklahoma  has  made  splendid  advancement  during  the  past  ten 
years.  In  promoting  centralization  of  small  schools;  in  the  move- 
ment for  better  school  plants  and  equipment ;  in  increasing  general 
school  spirit  among  the  people;  and  in  promoting  progressive  leg- 
islation, the  State  department,  in  spite  of  its  pitifully  meagre  sup- 
port, has  accomplished  substantial  results.  While  the  educational 
needs  of  the  State  have  been  growing  and  while  other  State  de- 
partments have  been  increasing  in  number  and  salary  of  personnel 
'and  in  corresponding  responsibilities  assumed,  Oklahoma  has  re- 
mained stationary.  If  present  and  future  needs  are  adequately 
met  fundamental  changes  in  the  size  of  the  staff  and  in  the  functions 
of  the  department  must  be  made  or  Oklahoma  will  fall  still  lower 
in  rank  among  the  States  of  the  Union  in  educational  achievement. 

Table  27  shows  the  staff  as  at  present  constituted,  one  of  the 
smallest  among  the  States  and  one  of  those  in  which  lowest  salaries 
are  paid.  (See  Chapter  V).  One  supervisor  of  rural  schools  is 
quite  inadequate  for  a  State  of  the  size  of  Oklahoma  and  with 
as  large  a  rural  population. 


208  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

TABLE  27. 

Department  of  'Education  and  State  Board  of  Education 
Officials  and  Salaries. 

State  Superintendent  $2,500 

Asst.  State  Superintendent  2,100 

Chief  Clerk 2,000 

Record  Clerk   1,500 

Agricultural  Assistant  in  State  Department 1,500 

Chief  High  School  Inspector : ;..  2,400 

Two  assistant  Inspectors  1,800  each 

1  Stenographer 1,500 

1  Stenographer  1,200 


Total $16,500 

State  Board  of  Education: 

1  Secretary  of  State  Board  $2,100   • 

1    Stenographer   .  1,200 


General  Education  Board: 

1  Supervisor    of    rural    schools,    salary    and 

expenses  $9,324 

The  addition  of  a  rural  school  division  or  bureau  to  the  State 
department  of  education  is  one  of  the  immediate  needs  which  the 
legislature  should  fill  at  an  early  date.  There  should  be  a  staff 
of  at  least  four  State  supervisors  of  rural  schools,  one  director 
and  three  assistants,  of  whom,  one  should  be  assigned  to  assist 
county  superintendents  and  rural  people  in  the  special  problems 
of  centralization  of  schools,  one  to  special  problems  of  administration 
and  supervision;  and  one  to  assist  in  the  purchase  and  selection 
of  sites  and  the  building  and  equipment  of  schools.  The  super- 
visors of  rural  schools  should  be  men  or  women  highly  qualified  by 
preparation  and  experience  to  be  leaders  among  the  educators  of 
the  State  and  to  represent  the  State  department  of  education  among 
the  rural  communities. 

ATTENDANCE. 

Oklahoma  has  a  total  scholastic  population  of  647,083  white 
children ;  of  these  46  per  cent  are  in  districts  classified  as  ungraded 
rural;  15  per  cent  in  districts  classified  as  village,  consolidated, 
and  union  graded;  and  39  per  cent  in  independent  districts,  accord- 
ing to  the  latest  data  obtainable.  All  children  classified  as  be- 


THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  209 

longing  in  rural,  union  graded,  consolidated,  and  village  schools, 
as  well  as  many  children  classified  as  belonging  in  independent 
districts,  are  really  rural  children.  They  constitute  between  65 
and  75  per  cent  of  the  entire  scholastic  population. 

Schools,  however  efficient,  can  educate  only  children  who  at- 
tend school  at  least  with  reasonable  regularity.  An  examination 
of  the  enrollment  and  attendance  data  obtainable  in  the  State  at- 
tendance reports  show  conditions  very  unfavorable  for  rural  chil- 
dren. While  46  per  cent  of  all  the  children  live  in  ungraded  rural 
districts,  only  42  per  cent  are  enrolled  in  the  schools  of  such  dis- 
tricts ;  on  the  other  hand  while  39  per  cent  of  the  total  number  of 
children  live  in  independent  districts,  43  per  cent  of  the  total  num- 
ber enrolled  are  in  independent  district  schools. 

Average  daily  attendance  data  are  equally  unfavorable.  Of 
every  100  children  in  school  on  any  one  day,  49  are  in  independent 
district  schools,  15  in  village,  consolidated,  and  union  graded  schools, 
and  36  in  ungraded  rural  schools. 

Below  is  a  comparison  of  enumeration,  enrollment,  and  average 
attendance  in  independent  and  ungraded  rural  districts. 

Percentage  of  Total  in  State. 

Enumeration       Enrollment     Average  Attendance 
Independent  38  41  49 

Ungraded  rural  46  43  36 

In  every  instance  while  the  high  percentage  of  children  live 
in  rural  school  districts,  the  percentage  of  enrollment  compared 
with  school  population,  and  the  percentage  of  attendance  compared 
with  enrollment,  are  lower  for  rural  than  for  independent  districts. 

If  we  consider  districts  as  classified  separately  rather  than  as  a 
whole  we  find  similar  results.  Seventy  (70)  per  cent  of  the  enroll- 
ment in  independent  districts  are  in  average  daily  attendance. 
Only  44  per  cent  of  the  enrollment  in  ungraded  rural  districts  are 
in  average  daily  attendance ;  as  shown  in  Table  28. 

Further  study  of  school  attendance  in  Oklahoma  was  made  by 
the  examination  of  teachers'  registers  in  three  counties  showing 
the  actual  number  of  days  attended  by  2,352  children  enrolled  in 
rural  schools ;  the  results  are  set  forth  in  Table  29. 

The  schools  selected  were  the  only  ones  from  which  data 
were  obtainable.  They  are  believed  to  be  reasonably  typical  of 
average  conditions.  They  are  more  nearly  indicative  of  actual 


210 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

TABLE  28. 
School  Attendance. 


Pupils                 Percentage     Percentage        Per  cent  of  enroll, 
enrolled             of  total            of  total 
Districts        per  teacher      enrollment      No.  teachers 
employed         Present        Absent 

Independent 
districts        34                41.6                44.                75              25 

Village                 40                  8.6                  7.9              61 
Consolidated       39                  5.5                  5.0              59 

39 
41 

Union  Graded      35                  1.8                  2.0              66 

34 

Ungraded  rural  38                42.5                41.0              55 
Total     37              100.                100.                64     | 

45 
36 

TABLE    29.—  SHOWING    ACTUAL    NUMBER    OF    DAYS    ATTENDED    BY 

2,352  CHILDREN  DURING  SCHOOL  YEAR,  1921-22. 

Days 

at- 
tended 

Percentage  of  children  attending  according  to 
class  of  school 

Percentage  of 
children  at- 
tending from 
all  schools 

1-teacher                 2-teacher      3-teacher    4-teacher    7-teacher 

White          Colored 

1—     9 

10—  19 

23                   15                 33                 22                 9                 14 

21 

20—  29 

30—  39 

40—  49  " 
50  —  59 

35.7               25                 44                  30               15                 21 

31 

60—  69  " 
70—  79  , 

*     46                  36                  55                 45                 29                  34 

44 

80—  89  ' 
90—  99   . 

-     54                   48                  64                  52                  35                  36 

51 

100—109  " 
110—119 

»     63                   65                  76                  57                 39                 41 

59 

120—129  " 
130—139 

-     75                   97                 87                  64                  48                 45 

71 

140—149  " 
150—159 

-     95                                       99                 82                 67                  58 

87 

160—169  " 
170—179 

>  100                100               100               100               100               100 

100 

THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  211 

school  attendance  than  are  the  averages  given  above.  Averages 
are  influenced  by  the  few  who  attend  regularly  and  the  few  who 
attend  school  very  little,  consequently,  they  are  not  representative  of 
individual  conditions. 

CHILDREN  DO  NOT  ATTEND  REGULARLY. 

Table  29  shows  that  23  per  cent  of  the  total  number  of  children 
enrolled  in  one-teacher  schools  attended  during  the  year  less  than 
two  months,  35  per  cent  less  than  three  months,  *46  per  cent  less  than 
four  months,  54  per  cent  less  than  five  months,  63  per  cent  less 
than  six  months,  75  per  cent  less  than  seven  months,  and  95  per 
cent  less  than  eight  months.  The  record  for  two-  and  three-teacher 
schools  is  very  little  better.  It  appears  from  these  satistics  that 
in  the  small  rural  schools  approximately  half  the  children  attend 
schools  less  than  four  months  in  the  school  year  even  though  a 
longer  term  of  school  is  offered. 

THE  SCHOOL  TERM. 

The  standard  term  of  length  for  schools  in  the  United  States 
is  9  months.  The  average  in  Oklahoma  for  all  schools,  rural  and 
urban  is  about  seven  months.  In  many  counties  and  in  many  dis- 
tricts, however,  the  term  is  far  shorter.  Table  30  giving  the  school 
term  for  5,020  districts  show  that  21  per  cent  of  the  total  number  of 
school  districts  have  a  term  of  6  months  or  less  and  an  appreciable 
number  of  districts  maintain  three,  four,  and  five  months  schools. 

TABLE  30. 
School  Term  in  Oklahoma,  1921-22. 

Months  school  No.  of  Percent                  Cumulative 

was  in  schools  Percents 
session 

3  23  Less  than  1 

4  46  Less  than  1  1  + 

5  176  3  4 

6  811  16  21 

7  1274  25  46 

8  2018  40  86 

9  669  13  99  + 
10  3  Less  than  1 

The  divided  term  so  common  in  the  rural  districts  of  the  State 
is  another  significant  influence  in  the  consideration  of  school  at- 


212  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

tendance  and  quality  of  school  work.  Reports  from  county  super- 
intendents indicate  that  about  16  per  cent  of  the  rural  schools  have 
the  divided  school  term.  Observation  in  these  schools  shows  that 
attendance  is  poor  and  school  interest  indifferent.  The  break 
in  the  middle  of  a  short  school  term  is  discouraging  to  normal 
accomplishment.  Children  as  a  rule  are  slow  to  return  when 
school  opens  up  after  a  long  vacation  and  slow  to  become  interested 
again  in  their  school  tasks. 

In  considering  school  attendance  we  must  take  account  not 
only  the  number  of  days  attended  but  the  regularity.  If  a  child 
comes  to  school  one  or  two  days  and  then  is  absent  another  one 
or  two  days  he  is  unable  to  keep  up  with  his  schoolmates  unless 
the  teacher  takes  time  from  the  other  children  to  give  him  indi- 
vidual assistance.  In  one-teacher  schools  especially,  irregular  at- 
tendants fall  behind  their  classes  and  soon  drop  out  entirely,  or  fail 
to  make  their  grade,  and  thus  must  enroll  in  a  lower  one.  In 
either  case  the  result  is  serious  to  the  individual  and  to  the  school. 

Examination  of  registers  in  a  number  of  schools  in  all  the 
counties  visited  by  members  of  the  committee  indicate  a  good 
deal  of  irregularity  in  attendance.  In  one  school  visited  in  which 
there  were  125  children  enrolled,  only  ten  were  present  the  day 
the  visit  was  made.  In  another  instance,  20  children  were  present 
of  75  enrolled.  In  another  case,  15  were  present  out  of  an  enroll- 
ment of  50.  These  are  not  exaggerated  instances,  but  give  some 
idea  of  indifference  which  many  country  people  have  for  the 
education  of  their  children. 

Short  terms,  irregular  attendance,  or  a  combination  of  these, 
result  in  very  little  school  for  a  large  number  of  children.  The 
average  city  child  attends  school  9  months  in  the  year  and  requires 
eight  years  to  finish  the  elementary  schools.  The  rural  child  who 
enrolls  in  school  where  the  term  is  short,  and  who  is  absent  a  large 
percentage  of  that  short  term,  requires  not  eight  years  but  two 
or  three  times  as  many  school  years  to  finish  the  elementary  grades. 
This  explains  why  many  country  children  become  discouraged  and 
leave  school  often  before  they  have  completed  more  than  the  4th  or 
5th  grades. 

Oklahoma  rural  schools  as  a  whole  enroll  a  relatively  small 
number  of  children  in  the  upper  grades  and  high  schools.  (See 
table  33).  It  is  not  possible  to  say  to  what  extent  this  condition 
is  due  to  short  terms  and  irregular  attendance  but  it  is  safe  to 


THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS 


213 


say  that  a  large  amount  »f  it  comes  from  this  cause.  Boys  and 
girls  who  reach  the  age  of  15  and  16  years,  and  must  still  attend 
school  in  classes  with  children  several  years  younger,  naturally 
have  little  ambition  to  complete  either  the  grades  or  high  school. 

AGE  AND  GRADE  ENROLLMENT. 

Information  concerning  the  age  and  grade  in  which  enrollment 
of  approximately  55,000  children  in  rural  communities  was  gath- 
ered in  the  spring  of  1922.  In  order  to  distinguish  as  definitely  as 
possible  between  children  living  in  the  open  country  and  those 
living  in  cities  and  towns  in  which  conditions  approximate  those 
which  prevail  in  cities,  data  were  gathered  in  two  groups,  namely ,. 
for  children  living  in  places  under  200  in  population  and  for  those 
living  in  places  of  over  200  populaton.  The  former  are  classed 
rural  in  this  discussion.  * 

*  Applicable  also  to  data  on  teachers  and  school  buildings  and  grounds. 

The  complete  information  from  which  the  summary  given  in 
Tables  31  and  32  was  collected  shows  the  actual  age  and  grade 
for  each  child. 

TABLE    31.— AGE-GRADE    ENROLLMENT    IN    OKLAHOMA. 

White  Boys  and  Girls  in  Places  under  200  Population. 


Total      Per  cent    No.  below    Per  cent  No.  of    Per  cent  No.  above 

Grades               enrolled    of  total  in    normal        below  normal        of  normal 

each  grade    grade         normal          age      normal  age 
grade                         age 


Total 


54929       100.0       4393 


8.0 


24952 


45.4 


25584 


Per  cent 
above 


Kdgn 

2815 

5.1 

40 

1.4 

1711 

60.8 

1064 

37.8 

1 

9782 

17.8 

879 

8.9 

5765 

58.9 

3138 

32.2 

2 

6737 

12.3 

492 

7.3 

3400 

50.5 

2845 

42.2 

3 

7082 

12.9 

811 

11.5 

3109 

43.9 

3162 

44.6 

4 

6789 

12.4 

563 

8.3 

2733 

40.2 

3493 

51.5- 

5 

6339 

11.5 

500 

7.9 

2390 

37.7 

3449 

54.4 

6 

5299 

9.6 

417 

7.8 

1996 

37.7 

2886 

54.5 

7 

4256 

7.8 

247 

5.8 

1622 

38.1 

2387 

56.1 

8 

4638 

8.4 

334 

7.2 

1708 

36.8 

2596 

56.0 

9 

739 

1.4 

53 

7.2 

312 

42.2' 

374 

50.6 

10 

316 

.6 

22 

7.0 

150 

47.5 

144 

45.5 

11 

82 

.1 

14 

17.1 

38 

46.3 

30 

36.6 

12 

55 

.1 

21 

38.2 

18 

32.7 

16 

29.1 

46.6 


214  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

TABLE  32'.— AGE- GRADE  ENROLLMENT  IN  OKLAHOMA. 
White  Boys  and  Girls  in  Places  of  200  Population  and  Over. 


Total 

Per  cent 

No.  below 

Per  cent    No.  of 

Per  cent 

No.  above 

Per  cent 

Grades 

enrolled 

of  total 

in     normal 

below 

normal 

of 

normal 

above 

each  grade     grade 

normal 

age 

normal 

age 

grade 

age 

Kdgn 

3961 

2.7 

657 

16.6 

2827 

71.4 

477 

12.0 

1 

20726 

14.2 

1196 

5.8 

15493 

74.7 

4037 

19.5 

2 

16080 

11.0 

1605 

10.0 

10250 

63.7 

4225 

26.3 

3 

15369 

10.5 

1640 

10.7 

9007 

58.6 

4722 

30.7 

4 

15034 

10.3 

1829 

12.2 

7915 

52.6 

5290 

35.2 

5 

13906 

9.5 

1603 

11.5 

7240 

52.1 

5063 

36.4 

6 

12921 

8.9 

1675 

12.9 

6547 

50.7 

4699 

36.4 

7 

11610 

8.0 

1726 

14.9 

5876 

50.6 

4008 

34.5 

8 

10421 

7.1 

1524 

14.6 

5480 

52.6 

3417 

32.8 

9 

10791 

7.4 

1604 

14.9 

5444 

50.5 

3743 

34.6 

10 

7232 

5.0 

1083 

15.0 

4037 

55.8 

2112 

29.2 

11 

4320 

3.0 

734 

17.0 

2471 

57.2 

1115 

25.8 

12 

3566 

2.4 

721 

20.1 

2129 

59.7 

716 

20.2 

Total 

145937 

100.0 

17597 

12.1 

84716 

58.0 

43624 

29.9 

The  tables  summarize  this  information  as  follows:  Total 
number  of  children  enrolled  in  each  grade,  percentage  of  those 
below  or  younger  than  normal  age,  percentage  of  normal  age,  and 
percentage  above  normal  or  too  old  for  the  grade  in  which  enrolled. 
Total  percentages  for  all  grades  are  also  given. 

Normal  age  is  considered  as  that  of  the  child  who  enters  school 
at  six  years  of  age  and  makes  one  grade  a  year  or  normal  progress. 
Thus,  normal  age  for  the  first  grade  is  six  or  seven  years;  for 
the  second  grade  seven  or  eight  years;  and  so  on,  allowing  a  two 
years  span  for  each  grade.  This  is  a  liberal  allowance  especially 
as  many  children  enter  before  they  are  six  years  old.  The  child 
who  does  not  enter  until  he  is  six  may  fail  any  one  year  during  his 
school  life  and  still  be  considered  of  normal  age. 

If  the  child  who  enters  school  at  seven  years  of  age  and  makes 
normal  progress  for  one,  two  or  more  years,  later  falls  behind, 
.either  from  continued  absence  or  inability  to  complete  the  work 
of  one  grade  and  must,  therefore,  repeat  it  the  following  year,  he 
is  one  year  above  normal  age.  If  he  falls  two  years  behind  he 
is  one  year  above  normal  age,  and  so  on.  If  a  child  is  particularly 
bright  and  makes  more  than  one  grade  a  year  he  is  counted  on  the 
table  as  below  the  normal  age  or  young  for  his  grade. 

Table  33  is  a  related  table  showing  how  many  children  are  en- 
rolled in  each  of  the  upper  grades  for  every  100  children  in  the 
first  grade.  It  does  not  take  into  consideration  some  rural  children 
transferred  to  city  and  village  schools.  This  subject  is  discussed 


THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  215 

later  in  connection  with  rural  secondary  schools.  It  is  an  added 
indication  of  the  difficulty  rural  children  have  in  completing  upper 
elementary  and  high  school  grades. 

TABLE  33. 
Number  of  children  in  each  grade,  based  on  100  in  the  first  grade, 

in  Oklahoma. 

Number  of  children  in  Number  of  children  in 

Grade        places  of  under  200  places  of  over  200 

population  population 

1  100.  100. 

2  68.8  77.5 

3  72.4  74.1 

4  69.4  72.5 

5  64.8  67. 

6  54.1  62.3 

7  43.5  56. 

8  47.4  50.2 

9  7.5  52. 

10  3.2  34.8 

11  .8  20.8 

12  .5  17.2 


The  most  significant  figures  in  the  table  are  those 
the  percentage  above  normal  or  too  old  for  their  grade.  Begin- 
ning with  the  primary  and  first  grade  classes  the  percentage  is 
38  and  32  respectively;  the  percentage  increases  throughout  the 
elementary  school.  Beyond  the  fourth  grade  more  than  half  the 
children  are  older  than  they  should  be  for  the  grade  in  which. 
they  are  enrolled.  If  we  compare  these  data  with  similar  data 
for  children  in  cities  we  find  Table  33  much  higher  percentage  of 
over-age  than  in  city  schools.  (See  Table  33). 

The  causes  are  numerous:  Poor  school  buildings,  indifferent 
teaching,  courses  of  study  that  do  not  appeal  to  children  as  having 
practical  value  all  lead  to  lack  of  interest  on  the  part  of  children. 
Irregularity  of  attendance  ftiso  leads  to  high  percentage  rate  of  over- 
age children.  This  may  be  due  to  indifference  or  to  the  necessity 
of  children  working  on  the  farms. 

Short  terms  are  a  contributing  factor  since  it  is  necessary 
for  even  an  exceptionally  bright  child  to  spend  two  or  three  years 
of  three  months  each,  doing  the  work  ordinarily  accomplished  in 


216  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

one  term  of  nine  months.  The  high  percentage  of  over-age  chil- 
dren also  indicates  that  the  compulsory  attendance  law  is  not  en- 
forced. 

Experience  shows  that  the  results  of  conditions,  such  as  shown 
in  the  table,  are  serious,  that  children  are  constantly  dropping  out 
from  school  at  the  end  of  the  early  elementary  grades,  many  not 
even  going  beyond  the  4th  or  5th  grades.  Boys  and  girls  who 
reach  the  age  of  14  or  15  are  not  interested  in  classes  if  they  must 
associate  with  children  much  younger  than  they.  They  leave  school, 
therefore,  with  education  very  little  above  the  illiteracy  stage.  Im- 
proved standards,  better  teachers,  enforcement  of  the  compulsory 
education  law  are  all  important  factors. 

BUILDINGS  AND  GROUNDS. 

The  quality  of  the  school  system  is  determined  to  some  extent 
by  the  character  of  the  school  site  and  building.  These  may  limit 
or  promote  the  health,  safety,  comfort,  convenience,  and  happiness 
of  the  children  while  at  school.  The  equipment  and  general  ar- 
rangement both  inside  and  outside  condition  somewhat  the  quality 
of  the  instruction  given. 

Members  of  the  Survey  staff  visited  approximately  1,000  rural 
school  "buildings,  in  40  different  counties,  representing  all  types 
o£  bmldings,  all  localities,  and  all  financial  and  industrial  condi- 
tions of  the  State.  In  addition,  data  were  collected  from  58 
county  superintendents  through  questionnaires  concerning  school 
buildings  in  their  respective  counties,  their  surroundings,  and  equip- 
ment. 

Naturally  the  wide  variety  in  financial  ability  among  districts 
.as  well  as  in  effort  and  school  interest  is  reflected  in  the  kind  of 
buildings,  their  equipment  and  upkeep.  While  building^  are  poor 
in  some  localities  the  general  impression  made  by  observing  the 
£tate  as  a  whole  is  that  there  is  a  real  interest  on  the  part  of  the 
rural  people  in  their  schools  and  that  reasonably  generous  provision 
has  been  made  by  them  according  to  their  wealth. 

There  is  a  noticeable  lack  of  expert  guidance  and  direction 
that  results  in  the  erection  of  buildings  without  due  regard  to 
the  simplest  sanitary  requirements.  Even  new  buildings  in  the 
process  of  completion  show  disregard  for  the  health  of  children  and 
their  educational  needs  as  well.  Often  no  additional  cost  is  involv- 
ed when  a  building  is  in  process  of  erection  for  compliance  with 
necessary  regulations  if  they  were  known  in  time. 


THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  217 

Certain  conditions  concerning  water  supply,  toilets,  lighting,  and 
seating  arrangements,  in  approximately  4,000  schools  as  summar- 
ized from  replies  to  the  Bureau  questionnaire  returned  by  58  county 
superintnedents  are  shown  in  Table  34.  Similar  conditions  existed 
in  the  schools  observed  by  members  of  the  survey  staff. 

TABLE  34. 

Summary  of  Conditions  of  Buildings  and  Grounds  of  3,978  White 
Rural  Schools  in  Oklahoma. 

Per  cent 

Per  cent  of  rural  schools  which  are  one-teacher 68.2 

two-teacher 19.4 

centralized 5.5 

Schools  having  grounds  surrounded  by  fence  27.9 

Schools  having  grounds  of  two  acres  or  larger  25.3 

Schools  having  a  well  or  underground  cistern  on  the  grounds 73.5 

a. .  Those  with  cement  platform  and  pump -50.5 

Schools  having  fountain  or  other  sanitary  arrangement  for 

drinking  water 33.1 

Schools  having  wash  basin,  soap,  and  towel  provided 30.7 

Schools  having  cloakrooms  (separate  from  classroom)  40.4 

Schools  having  no  toilets  or  only  one 3.1 

Schools  having  two  toilets 91.2 

a.  Having  two  toilets  of  any  sanitary  type  9.5 

Schools  having  jacketed  stove  in  usable  condition 28.5 

Schools  having  windows  on  one  side  of  room  only 14.3 

Schools  fully  equipped  with  single  patent  desks  28.3 

Schools  having  satisfactory  teacher's  desks  77.7 

Schools  having  blackboards  in  good  condition  61.7 

Schools  having  a  good  wall  map  of  the  United  States 56.5 

Schools  having  a  supply  of  books  for  supplemental  reading  (at 

least  25)  48.0 

Poor  lighting  is  very  general,  e.  g.,  only  14  per  cent  of  schools 
reported  have  unilateral  lighting.  Insufficient  lighting  is  also  com- 
mon. There  are  few  sanitary  toilets  on  rural  school  grounds,  and 
many  observed  were  not  clean  and  well  kept.  Sometimes  good 
wells  may  be  in  unhealthful  condition  because  no  seepage  proof  plat- 
forms are  provided.  Seats  and  desks  are  not  adjusted  to  the  size 
of  children  occupying  them,  and  cloakrooms  are  not  provided.  These 
and  various  similar  conditions  are  important  considerations  affecting 
the  health  and  comfort  of  the  children ;  school  equipment  has  much 


218  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

to  do  with  the  quality  of  the  school  work.  General  stimulation  of 
interest  in  such  problems  among  the  people  and  intelligent  direc- 
tion of  school  officers  in  charge  of  buildings  are  important  to  the 
general  welfare  of  the  schools  and  the  children. 

The  remedy  for  the  present  condition  should  be  sought  in 
better  administrative  practice.  School  boards  and  superintendents 
should  seek  advice  from  specialists  in  school  buildings.  The  State 
department  should  be  enlarged  to  furnish  this  service.  The  ques- 
tion is  largely  one  of  good  management  and  business  economy. 

RURAL  TEACHERS. 

The  members  of  the  survey  staff  responsible  for  the  study  of 
rural  school  conditions  based  their  judgment  of  the  teaching  staff 
on  observation  of  several  hundred  teachers,  nearly  all  of  whom  were 
at  work,  when  observed,  on  information  secured  from  the  records 
and  reports  of  the  State  department  of  education,  and  on  replies  to 
questionnaires  sent  directly  to  all  the  teachers  in  the  State  before 
the  close  of  school  in  the  spring  of  1922. 

The  members  of  the  staff  are  agreed  that  in  native  ability,  per- 
sonality, and  professional  spirit  the  rural  teachers  of  Oklahoma  are 
a  promising  group,  interested  in  the  schools  and  the  children,  and 
ready  to  take  advantage  of  direction  and  guidance  if  it  were  fur- 
nished. They  are  generally  immature,  inexperienced,  and  with- 
out academic  or  professional  preparation  in  any  sense  commensu- 
rate with  the  work  they  are  trying  to  do. 

This  judgment  of  the  observers  is  confirmed  by  the  data  shown 
in  Table  35  collected  from  the  teachers. 

TABLE  35.— PREPARATION  OF  TEACHERS 


Before  entering  the  public 
schools  of  Oklahoma 

Amount  of  schooling1 

In  places  of 
200  population 
and  over 

In  places  of 
less  than  200 
population 

Number 

Per  cent 

Number 

Per  cent 

Number   reporting 

4751 
3022 
2982 

484 
402 

105 
2952 
934 
865 

63.6 
62.7 

10.1 

8.4 

2.2 
62.1 
19.6 
18.2 

1910 
855 
1445 

92f 
32 

9 
1678 
176 

56 

44.7 
75.6 

4.8 
1.6 

.5 

87.8 
9.2 
2.8 

Four  years  in  high  school 

No  normal   training  reported 

One  year  in  normal  school  (above  4  year  high 
school) 

Two  years  in  normal  (above  4  year  high  school) 
Three  or  four  years  in  normal  (above  4  year 
high  school)   

No  college  training  reported  ... 

One  to  two  years  in  college  or  university 

Three  or  more  years  in  college  or  university  

THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS  219 

In  examining  these  data  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  ac- 
cepted standard  of  preparation  for  elementary  teachers  in  the  United 
States  is  completion  of  a  two-year  course  beyond  high  school  grad- 
uation; for  high  school  teachers  completion  of  a  four-year  course 
beyond  high  school.  In  both  cases  it  is  expected  that  professional 
courses  are  included. 

If  a  group  of  teachers  averages  far  below  these  standards  it 
is  generally  conceded  that  school  work  of  high  order  cannot  be 
expected.  It  is  true  that  there  are  exceptional  cases  fo  born 
teachers,  successful  in  spite  of  inadequate  preparation.  A  similar 
situation  is  sometimes  found  in  other  vocations  and  professions 
as  well  as  teaching.  However,  geniuses  of  this  type  are  relative- 
ly few.  The  best  protection  for  school  children  from  possible  in- 
competence is  insistence  on  a  minimum  amount  of  preparation  on 
the  part  of  teachers.  Any  large  group,  therefore,  may  be  safely 
judged  according  to  the  closeness  with  which  they  attain  or  approxi- 
mate the  standards  mentioned. 

Eeplies  to  the  Bureau's  questionnaires  were  received  from 
approximately  2,000  rural  teachers  employed  in  communities  of 
200  or  less  in  population.  The  results  of  summaries  made  from 
them  are  shown  in  Table  35.  Forty-six  per  cent  had  completed  a 
four  year  high  school;  1  per  cent  completed  one  or  more 
years  of  work  above  high  school  or  of  college  grade;  25  -per  cent 

TABLE  36— LENGTH  OF  SERVICE  OF  TEACHERS. 

In  places  of  In  places  of 

200  popula-  less  than  200 

Length  of  Service  tion  and  over  population 


Number  Per  Cent  Number  Per  Cent 

Number  reporting 4,735  1,922 

Service   in   school   in   which   now 
employed : 

One  year  or  less 2,327  49  1,376  71.5 

Two  years 1,042  22  353  18.3 

Three  years  462  9.7  79  4.1 

Over  three  years 904  19  114  5.9 

Total  length  of  teaching  service: 

One  year  or  less  578  12.1  515  26.7 

Two  years  542  11.4  337  17.8 

Three  years  520  11.4  198  10.3 

Over  three  years  3,095  65.5  872  45.3 


220  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

had  attended  some  courses  in  normal  school,  many  of  them  summer 
or  other  short  courses,  2.8  per  cent  had  completed  either  a  three  or 
four  year  college  course,  and  12  per  cent  had  enrolled  at  some  time 
In  some  sort  of  college  or  university  courses.  High  school  as  well 
as  elementary  teachers  are  included  in  this  group. 

In  teaching  experience  Table  36  shows  that  about  one-half  the 
teachers,  or  55.6  per  cent,  have  taught  three  or  four  years,  17.8 
per  cent  two  years,  and  26.7  per  cent  one  year  or  less.  The  last 
group  were  in  most  cases  teaching  their  first  year  when  the  data 
were  completed. 

Even  the  experienced  teachers  move  from  place  to  place  with 
great  frequency;  relatively  few  remain  two  years  in  the  same 
school.  Table  36  shows  that  of  the  groups  studied  71.5  per  cent 
were  teaching  in  the  school  in  which  they  were  serving  at  the  time 
the  questionnaire  was  sent  out  one  year  or  less,  18.3  per  cent  two 
years,  and  10  per  cent  three  years  or  more. 

SALARIES  OF  TEACHERS. 

Salaries  paid  are  usually  an  index  to  the  character  of  the 
teaching  staff.  Teachers  should  be  drawn  from  among  the  intelli- 
gent group  of  young  people  in  our  secondary  and  higher  institutions. 
They  need,  in  addition  to  academic  work,  professional  preparation 
involving  a  good  deal  of  time  and  expense.  Unless  salaries  are 
commensurate  with  the  importance  of  the  work,  teaching  will  not 
appeal  to  and  retain  in  service  qualified  young  men  and  women. 

Oklahoma  must  compete  with  western  and  middle  western 
States  in  salaries  paid.  At  present  a  large  percentage  of  the  trained 
teachers  come  from  outside  the  State.  Good  salaries  are  necessary, 
therefore,  to  securing  good  teachers.  In  median  and  average 
salaries  paid  to  teachers  of  rural  schools,  Oklahoma  ranks  well 
among  the  States.  In  minimum  salary  paid  in  poor  districts,  she 
ranks  low  among  the  States. 

Data  on  salaries  of  rural  teachers  collected  from  all  the  States 
for  the  school  year  1921-22,  Table  37,  show  that  in  median  salaries 
paid  in  one-teacher  schools,  Oklahoma  is  in  the  group  with  Colorado, 
Indiana,  Michigan,  Nebraska,  New  York,  North  Dakota,  Ohio, 
Oregon,  Utah,  and  Wisconsin.  The  median  annual  salary  in  all  these 
States  is  between  $800  and  $900  (one-teacher  schools  only).  In  nine 


THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS 


221 


TABLE  37. 
States  in  the  same  median  salary  group  as  Oklahoma: 


1-teacher 

Colorado 

Indiana 

Michigan 

Nebraska 

New  York 

North  Dakota 

Ohio 

Oklahoma 

Oregon 

Utah 

Wisconsin 


2-teacher 

Iowa 

Michigan 

Minnesota 

Nebraska 

New  Hampshire 

New  York 

Ohio 

Oklahoma 

Oregon 


3 -teacher 

Indiana 

Kansas 

Montana 

Ohio 

Oklahoma 


Consolidated 

Arizona 

Illinois 

Indiana 

Maryland 

Nebraska 

Oklahoma 

Tennessee 

West  Virginia 


States  in  median  salary  groups  above  Oklahoma,  arranged  in  order  of  States 


with  highest  medians: 


1-teacher 

Arizona 

California 

Washington 

New  Jersey 

New  Mexico 

Connecticut 

Idaho 

Minnesota 

Montana 

Nevada 

South  Dakota 


3-teacher  Consolidated 

California  Nevada 

Arizona  California 

New  Jersey  Wyoming 

New  York  Michigan 

Washington  Montana 

Colorado  New  Jersey 

Idaho  New  Mexico 

Nebraska  Oregon 

New  Mexico  South  Dakota 

North  Dakota  Utah 

South  Dakota  Washington 

Connecticut  Colorado 

Iowa  Connecticut 

Minnesota  Idaho 

Oregon  Minnesota 

Wisconsin  New  York 

Wyoming  North  Dakota 

Rhode  Island 
Iowa 
Kansas 
Ohio 
Wisconsin 


Median  salaries  in  neighboring  States  of  Oklahoma  compared: 

1-teacher        2-teacher        3-teacher       Consolidated 


2-teacher 

California 

Arizona 

Montana 

Nevada 

South  Dakota 

Washington 

Colorado 

Connecticut 

Idaho 

New  Jersey 

New  Mexico 

North  Dakota 

Wisconsin 

Wyoming 


Oklahoma    $800 

Missouri   500 

Texas    600 

Kansas    700 

Colorado  800 

New  Mexico  ...  1000 


900 

600 

700 

800 

1000 

1000 


900 

800 

700 

900 

1100 

1100 


900 

500 

700 

1000 

1100 

1200 


States,  nearly  all  of  which  are  in  the  west,  the  median  salaries  are 
from  $100  to  $400  per  year  higher.  In  this  group  are  South  Dakota, 
Nevada,  Montana,  Idaho,  Arizona,  California,  New  Jersey,  New 
Mexico,  and  Washington. 


222  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Considering  the  salaries  of  two-teacher  schools,  the  median  for 
Oklahoma  is  $900  to  $1,000;  thirteen  States  (all  western  but  New 
Jersey)  pay  a  higher  median  than  Oklahoma.  In  rural  schools  of 
other  types,  i.  e.,  three-teacher,  consolidated,  and  village,  Oklahoma 
ranks  similarly  in  comparison  with  the  other  States,  that  is,  not 
among  those  paying  either  the  highest  nor  the  lowest  median 
salaries. 

If  we  consider  not  median  but  minimum  salaries,  and  if  we  con- 
sider the  variation  among  counties  and  districts,  we  find  a  far  less 
creditable  situation.  Oklahoma  is  one  of  20  States  (nearly  all 
southern  States  of  far  less  ability  financially)  in  which  there  are 
large  groups  of  rural  teachers  receiving  less  than  $300  per  year. 
The  discrimination  between  rural  and  urban  salaries,  as  shown  in 
Tables  38  and  39,  is  very  marked. 


RURAL  SCHOOLS 


223 


TABLE   38.— ANNUAL   SALARIES    OF   TEACHERS   AND  PRINCIPALS   IN 

THE  RURAL  SCHOOLS   OF  OKLAHOMA   FOR  THE   SCHOOL 

YEAR  1921-22  ARRANGED  ACCORDING   TO   SIZE 

OF  SCHOOL.* 


Number  of  teachers  receiving 
salaries  indicated  in 

Number  of  principals 
receiving  salaries  indi- 
cated and  directing 

O>    09 

02  ^ 

,H 

&0   •  A 

Annual 

°1 

o>  "o  & 

§ 

f  §-3<2 

Salaries 

One-teacher 
schools 

Two-  teacher 
schools 

£§ 

country! 

Consolidatec 
schools 

Three  or  mo] 
teacher  schc 
in  villages  £ 

towns 

Elementary 
school  only 

Organized  h 
school  only* 

!-** 

%  ^  b£ 

Less  than 

$300 

2 

2 

300—  399 

32 

12 

2 

400—  499 

63 

32 

4 

500—  599 

150 

46 

5 

15 

.... 

1 

.... 



600—  699 

245 

89 

34 

32 

.... 

4 

.... 

3 

700—  799 

444 

71 

22 

38 

41 

10 

1 

5 

800—  899 

539 

149 

42 

67 

83 

12 

2 

21 

900—  999 

272 

94 

50 

185 

170 

11 

52 

1000  —  1099 

319 

146 

26 

79 

48 

16 

1 

39 

1100  —  1199 

49 

46 

32 

59 

84 

10 

3 

68 

1200—1299 

63 

63 

37 

32 

22 

31 

.... 

38 

1300—1399 

20 

27 

13 

25, 

30 

12 

3 

60 

1400—1499 

5 

12' 

5 

20 

21 

6 

.... 

14 

1500—1599 

9 

12 

7 

12 

21 

9 

1 

26 

1600—1699 

2 

12 

8 

9 

4 

10 

1700—1799 

4 

1 

4 

4 

4 

1800—1899 

1 

12 

2 

17 

9 

31 

1 

63 

1900  —  1999 

.... 

17 

.... 

1 

1 



1 

4 

2000—2099 

.... 

4 

1 

11 

3 





10 

2100—2199 

.... 

1 

1 

1 





7 

2200—22*99 

6 

1 

3 

,... 

.... 



5 

2300—2399 

2 

.... 



2400—2499 

5 

4 

1 

13 

2500—2599 

.... 

3 

10 

2600—2699 

2700—2799 

.... 

.... 

1 

1 

2800—2899 

.... 

.... 

1 

.... 

.... 

2 

2900—2999 





1 

2 



1 

3000  or  over 

.... 

.... 

9 

18 

5 

....' 

11 

Total 

2215 

857 

303 

641 

551 

153 

14 

467 

Median 

salaries 

$800— 

$900— 

$1200— 

$900— 

$900— 

$1200— 

$1100— 

$1300— 

for  each 

899 

999 

1299 

999 

999 

1299 

1199 

1399 

group 

• 

*Number  of  counties  reporting — 49. 

tNot  consolidated. 

^Include  both  junior  and  senior  high  schools. 


224 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


02 


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RURAL  SCHOOLS  225 

In  the  same  kind  of  schools,  i.  e.,  one-teacher  or  two-teacher 
or  consolidated  schools,  there  is  a  wide  range  in  salaries  paid  among 
counties  and  among  districts  in  the  same  county.  Certain  infor- 
mation concerning  salaries  paid  rural  teachers  in  nine  counties  is 
shown  in  Table  39.  In  Cimarron  county  the  salaries  of  teachers  in 
one-teacher  schools  range  from  $180  to  $1,215  per  year ;  in  Le  Flore 
county,  from  $225  to  $1,650. 

Similar  differences  are  found  among  other  types  of  schools  in 
these  and  in  other  counties.  It  is  because  of  variations  of  this 
kind,  indicating  the  widest  possible  differences  in  school  facilities 
furnished  children  in  the  different  parts  of  the  State,  that  the  de- 
mand for  intelligent  consideration  and  immediate  action  is  most 
insistent.  Standardization  of  teaching  qualifications  and  salaries 
through  centralization  of  certificating  authority,  and  a  minimum 
salary,  paid  in  part  by  the  State,  is  recommended  in  Chapter  III. 
These  recommendations,  if  followed,  and  an  aroused  interest  on 
the  part  of  the  people  in  their  schools,  will  help  in  the  solution  of 
the  teacher  problem. 

THE  QUALITY  OF  INSTBUCTION  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

The  fundamental  weakness  of  the  rural  schools  of  Oklahoma, 
one  or  two-room  and  consolidated  schools  alike,  is  the  lack  of 
skilled  teaching.  This  weakness  was  evident  in  every  county 
visited,  even  in  those  counties  having  the  most  efficient  superinten- 
dents. 

In  fully  ninety  per  cent  of  the  schools  visited  the  following  con- 
ditions were  observed:  rooms  are  bare  and  unattractive;  class 
organization  was  inefficient ;  lesson  assignments  were  indefinite,  with 
a  tendency  to  stimulate  effort  on  the  part  of  children  for  short 
periods  of  time  only ;  children  were  expected  to  repeat  the  lesson  as 
given  in  the  book,  as  individuals,  to  the  teacher,  instead  of  doing 
original  thinking  or  challenging  the  attention  of  their  classmates 
when  reciting.  Entire  reading  periods  were  spent  by  children 
reading  orally,  for  the  most  part  in  a  very  halting  manner  selections 
familiar  to  all  pupils,  without  any  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  teacher 
to  question  the  children's  understanding  of  the  selection,  to  provoke 
the  use  of  judgment,  to  explain  meanings  which  might  not  be  clear 
to  them,  or  to  drill  on  difficulties. 

Children  in  the  schools  observed  rarely  have  opportunity  to 
read  more  than  two  readers,  frequently  but  one,  during  an  entire 

3.  S.  8 


226  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

school  year;  supplementary  material  for  primary  grades  and  seat 
work  material  was  usually  entirely  lacking  or  altogether  insufficient 
in  amount.  The  library  available  for  the  use  of  all  grades  consists 
of  a  single  set  of  reference  books. 

No  attempt  to  relate  instruction  in  the  school  to  life  outside  was 
observed ;  nor  was  attention  given  to  current  events.  Idleness  on 
the  part  of  a  majority  of  the  children  during  a  large  proportion  of 
the  time  characterized  study  and  seat  work  periods,  especially  in 
primary  grades. 

In  order  to  check  the  judgment  of  members  of  the'  staff  who 
observed  the  teaching,  results  of  instruction  were  measured  by 
achievement  tests  given  to  children  in  rural,  consolidated,  and  urban 
schools  in  seventeen  counties  in  various  sections  of  the  State,  as  re- 
ported elsewhere.  The  results  indicate  that  children  in  the  rural 
and  consolidated  schools  of  Oklahoma  are  far  below  children  in 
the  urban  schools  in  attainment. 

RESULTS  OF  EDUCATIONAL  TESTS. 

In  reading,  judged  by  Thorndyke-McCall  standards,  children 
in  rural  schools  in  the  age  groups  from  7  to  18  years,  inclusive,  tested 
from  9  to  28  months  below  children  in  urban  schools  in  correspond- 
ing age  groups;  the  median  difference  between  rural  and  urban 
children  for  these  eleven  groups  is  14.7  months.  The  median  read- 
ing score  for  rural  children  in  the  7,  8,  and  9  year  old  groups  is 
6,  5,  7,  and  1.7  months,  respectively,  above  the  Thorndyke-McCall 
normal  reading  ability  standards,  but  17.6,  14.7,  and  11.3  months 
below  median  reading  scores  for  urban  children  in  similar  age 
groups. 

The  median  reading  score  for  children  in  rural  schools  in  the 
10  to  18  year  old  groups  falls  below  Thorndyke-McCall  norman 
reading  ability  standards.  The  tendency  to  fall  below  the  standard 
increases  as  the  age  of  groups  advances.  There  is  2.4  months 
retardation  in  the  ten  year  old  group,  18.3  months  in  the  14  year 
group,  and  48.4  months  in  the  18  year  old  group. 

Compared  by  grades  instead  of  age  groups  the  tests  show  that 
in  and  above  the  third  grade  rural  children  in  each  grade  fall  be- 
low reading  standards  set  for  the  whole  country  for  these  grades; 
the  smallest  variation  from  the  standard  median  is  1.6  points  in 
the  fourth  grade;  the  greatest,  8.8  points  in  the  sixth  grade. 

The  results  of  the  achievement  tests  indicate  that  teaching  is 
no  better  in  consolidated  than  in  one-teacher  schools.  With  the 


RURAL,  SCHOOLS  227 

exception  of  nine  year  old  children  and  those  of  high  school  age, 
children  in  consolidated  schools  made  lower  reading  scores  than 
those  of  the  same  ages  in  rural  schools.  Compared  by  grades  chil- 
dren in  the  third,  fourth,  and  high  school  grades  in  the  consolidated 
schools  made  slightly,  higher  scores  than  those  in  corresponding 
grades  in  ungraded  rural  schools.  The  intermediate  and  upper 
grade  children  in  rural  schools  made  higher  scores  than  those  in 
corresponding  grades  in  consolidated  schools. 

The  results  of  the  tests  confirm  conclusions  made  by  observation, 
namely,  that  reading  is  very  poorly  taught  in  both  kinds  of  schools. 
Rural  children  are  greatly  handicapped  upon  entering  high  school. 
They  have  read  few  books,  in  many,  cases  only  one  each  year,  and 
have  not  read  the  few  intelligently.  At  fourteen  years  of  age  they 
are  more  than  a  year  and  a  half  behind  the  normal  standard  reading 
ability.  Rural  pupils  in  the  17  year  old  group  are  51.1  months  below 
standard  for  their  age. 

This  is  a  tremendous  handicap,  not  only  in  the  study  of  such 
important  subjects  as  English  and  American  literature,  but  in  his- 
tory, civics,  science,  and  all  other  high  school  subjects.  Lacking 
ability  to  read  intelligently,  many  fail  to  pass  the  high  school  en- 
trance requirements.  Others  enter  and  muddle  along  through; 
others  realizing  their  handicap  in  the  effort  to  get  an  education,  drop 
out  of  school  entirely. 

Because  of  the  fundamental  importance  of  the  subject,  instruc- 
tion in  reading  has  been  discussed  at  some  length.  In  spelling,  chil- 
dren in  the  rural  schools  in  all  elementary  grades  in  which  the 
tests  were  given,  the  third  and  fourth  grades  excepted,  measured 
from  9.2  to  17.9  points  below  the  standard  for  their  grade.  Chil- 
dren in  consolidated  schools,  generally  speaking,  made  scores  slight- 
ly higher  in  this  subject  than  those  in  rural  schools,  but  below  stand- 
ard and  the  scores  of  urban  children. 

In  the  Courtis  Arithmetic  tests  the  highest  median  percentage 
of  addition  examples  correctly  solved  in  any  grade  in  the  rural 
schools  was  58.3  per  cent  in  the  eighth  grade  compared  with  61.9 
per  cent  in  urban  schools;  the  highest  median  percentage  of  prob- 
lems solved  correctly  in  division  in  any  grade  in  rural  schools  was 
74.3  per  cent  in  the  eighth  grade  compared  with  a  median  percent- 
age of  80.5  per  cent  in  the  eighth  grade  in  urban  schools. 

Results  from  similar  tests  given  in  consolidated  schools  show 
that  in  half  the  grades  children  in  consolidated  schools  test  higher, 


228  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

in,  half  lower,  than  children  in  rural  schools.  When  comparisons 
are  made  in  terms  of  ages  children  in  age  groups  from  nine  to 
fourteen  in  both  rural  and  consolidated  schools  fall  below  urban 
children  in  the  percentage  of  examples  correctly  colved.  The  vari- 
ation is  briefly  indicated  as  follows : 

Per  Cent  Correct 

Age  9  Age  12       Age  15 

Addition : 

Rural   :  34.6  43.2  42.8 

Consolidated  35.3  39.7  44.5 

City 39.8  35.9  55.8 

Subtraction : 

Rural   47.5  56.8  65.2 

Consolidated 67.5  56.3  60.3 

City 57.8  53.0  78.6 

Multiplication : 

Rural   35.9  44.6  51.6 

Consolidated  30.8  43.1  51.0 

City 44.5  56.2  65.2 

Division : 

Rural   31.9  42.8  60.0 

Consolidated  31.4  35.9  59.0 

City 38.2  53.9  71.2 

In  composition  and  writing  differences  similar  to  those  described 
above  result  from  comparing  the  attainments  of  children  in  rural 
and  consolidated  schools  with  those  of  children  in  urban  schools. 

The  tests  confirm  the  unanimous  judgment  of  members  of  the 
rural  school  committee..  The  quality  of  instruction  in  rural  schools 
in  all  subjects  is  very  poor.  In  consolidated  schools  instruction  is 
almost  equally  poor.  Centralization  of  schools  is  a  splendid  first 
step  in  creating  conditions  that  make  the  closer  grading  of  children 
and  longer  teaching  periods  possible.  Unless  this  first  step  in  im- 
proving conditions  is  followed  by  successful  efforts  to  secure  skilled 
teaching  through  professional  preparation  of  teachers,  supervision, 
modern  equipment,  and  the  like,  the  erection  of  large  central  build- 
ings will  fail  to  serve  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  intended. 

THE  NEED  OF  PROFESSIONAL  SUPERVISION. 

The  inferior  quality  of  instruction  is  not  attributable  to  lack  of 
native  ability  or  conscientiousness  on  the  part  of  the  rural  teachers 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  229 

observed,  but  to  a  lack  of  knowledge  of  good  school  organization; 
teaching  methods,  and  to  the  lack  of  professional  supervision.  Rural 
teachers  in  the  State  of  Oklahoma  have  less  training  and  are  receiv- 
ing less  direction  than  any  other  group  of  teachers  in  the  State. 

Urban  boards  of  education  find  it  possible  and  desirable  to 
employ  superintendents,  school  principals,  and  clerical  assistants 
for  the  proper  administration  of  schools.  Notwithstanding  the  fact 
that  they  are  able  to  attract  to  their  school  systems  teachers  who 
have  received  professional  training,  they  employ  in  addition  a  corps 
of  supervisors  whose  business  it  is  to  follow  up  and  improve  methods 
of  instruction  in  the  various  elementary  grades. 

Rural  teachers  need  a  similar  kind  of  direction  and  help. 
The  State  of  Oklahoma  can  give  it  to  them  by  providing  for  rural 
supervisors  as  assistants  to  the  county  superintendents,  whose  duty 
it  will  be  to  travel  from  school  to  school  helping  to  secure  efficient 
organization,  suggesting  workable  type  programs,  demonstrating 
superior  methods  of  teaching,  observing  methods  in  use  and  making 
suggestions  for  improvement,  organizing  teachers'  meetings  and 
parent-teacher  associations,  and  inspiring  teachers  and  patrons  to 
demand  better  schools.  If  urban  teachers  need  help,  surely  the  rural 
teachers  whose  task  is  much  more  difficult  and  complex  need  it. 

Plans  for  providing  ample  supervision  of  rural  schools  through 
employing  a  staff  of  assistants  to  the  county  superintendent  are 
found  successful  in  many  other  States.  In  New  Jersey,  after  a  three 
years'  trial,  the  State  Commissioner  of  Education  declared  in  his 
Annual  Report  of  December,  1919,  that  helping  teachers  had  im- 
proved the  quality  of  instruction  in  the  rural  schools  a  hundred  per 
cent.  Maryland,  by  the  terms  of  a  law  recently  passed  established 
State-wide  supervision  by  providing  a  minimum  of  one  supervisor 
for  every  40  rural  teachers.  Delaware,  Connecticut,  Ohio,  Utah, 
Wisconsin,  and  Alabama  are  among  the  other  States  in  which  suc- 
cessful plans  for  supervising  rural  schools  are  in  operation.  Only 
12  States,  of  which  Oklahoma  is  one,  have  failed  entirely  to  employ 
rural  supervisors  in  any  of  their  counties. 

THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY. 

A  new  State  course  of  study  is  being  prepared  by  the  State 
department  of  education.  Copies  were  not  available  at  the  time 
the  survey  was  made,  therefore  this  discussion  is  based  on  the  ob- 
servation of  members  of  the  survey  staff.  It  is  true,  however, 
that  a  course  of  study  on  paper  is  of  little  value  unless  organized 


230  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

effort  is  made  on  the  part  of  officials  in  charge  to  assure  that  the 
regulations  are  intelligently  understood  and  carried  out  by  the 
teachers.  The  real  place  to  study  a  curriculum  is  in  the  school  room 
rather  than  in  a  printed  leaflet.  It  is  also  true  that  a  State  course 
of  study  is  used  chiefly  in  rural  schools  and  by  rural  teachers,  and 
should  be  designed  for  their  needs  particularly.  Cities  as  a  rule 
prepare  special  courses  for  their  own  use  or  special  adaptations  of 
the  State  course. 

So  far  as  practice  in  the  schools  is  concerned,  it  is  apparent  that 
the  special  needs  of  rural  schools  and  rural  children  have  received 
very  little  attention  in  the  curriculum  or  from  administrative  and 
supervisory  officers.  This  is  true  both  as  to  organization  of  the 
schools  and  classes  according  to  the  number  of  teachers,  size  of 
classes,  etc.,  and  in  the  content  of  the  curriculum. 

The  teaching  of  agriculture  and  home  economics  is  required 
by  law  in  the  upper  grades.  Regulations  issued  from  the  State  de- 
partment suggest  that  all  boys  and  girls  in  rural  schools  be  expected 
to  join  clubs  under  the  direction  of  county  farm  and  home  demon- 
stration agents.  The  latter  are  not  yet  fully  in  operation  and  their 
effect  cannot  be  judged.  The  former  is  of  little  significance,  since 
too  often  the  teaching  must  be  done  by  overworked  teachers  with 
little  general  or  special  preparation  for  teaching  these  subjects. 

ORGANIZATION. 

A  few  of  the  schools  visited  were  well  organized  and  had  well- 
balanced  programs.  The  larger  number  showed  faulty  organization. 
One  and  two-room  school  teachers  apparently  lacked  knowledge  of, 
or  ability  to  use,  the  plan  of  combining  classes  and  of  alternating 
subject  matter  by  years,  very  generally  advocated  by  leaders  in 
rural  education  for  schools  of  this  type.  As  a  consequence  the 
minimum  number  of  classes  scheduled  for  a  single  day  in  the  schools 
of  this  size  observed  was  28.  The  maximum  number  was  50. 

When  time  for  morning  exercises,  recess  periods,  and  other 
interruptions  is  deducted  from  the  six  hour  school  day,  not  more 
than  five  hours  are  left.  This  means  that  teachers  observed  averag- 
ed from  about  6  to  11  minutes  per  day  to  each  class.  In  many  one- 
teacher  schools  50  or  more  children  are  enrolled  with  an  average 
number  of  six  in  a  class.  If  these  classes  averaged  four  recitations 
a  day  each  child  receives  from  four  to  six  minutes  of  the  teacher's 
attention  during  the  day. 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  231 

Effective  teaching  cannot  be  done  under  such  time  limitations. 
Very  short  teaching  periods  handicap  the  development  of  both 
teachers  and  children.  The  former  fail  to  develop  skill  in  the  pre- 
sentation of  subject  matter;  the  latter  fail  in  the  mastery  of  sub- 
ject matter  and  the  mental  power  that  results  from  the  right  type 
of  mastery. 

In  consolidated  schools  it  is  customary  to  find  first  grades 
divided  into  five  or  more  groups;  while  teachers  above  the  first 
grade  fail  to  make  any  grouping  of  children  with  reference  to 
ability  but  attempt  to  teach  40  or  more  children  in  a  single  group. 

The  differences  between  the  one-room,  the  two  or  three-room 
school  and  the  consolidated  school  are  so  marked  that  a  course 
of  study  should  include  specific  suggestions  designed  to  give  definite 
assistance  to  the  teachers  in  the  different  types  of  schools  with  their 
problems  of  organization. 

CONTENT  OF  COURSE  OF  STUDY. 

The  objectives  for  the  elementary  school  in  rural  communities 
are  the  same  as  those  of  urban  schools.  Each  should  endeavor  to 
give  to  the  pupils  "such  training  as  will  make  them  acceptable 
members  of  society,  fitted,  in  so  far  as  their  ages  will  permit,  to  meet 
the  practical  demands  of  daily  life,  possessing  an  interest  in  further 
learning,  and  so  prepared  that  they  will  be  free  to  enter  upon  any 
line  of  work  or  further  schooling  that  they  may  care  to  choose."  (1) 
Social  cleavage  such  as  might  be  brought  about  by  sharp  distinction 
in  objectives  of  the  two  classes  of  schools  should  be  avoided. 

(1)     O.  G.  Brim:     Rural  School  Survey  of  New  York  State. 

The  problem  of  the  school  is  largely  that  of  supplementing  the 
out-of-school  experience  of  the  pupil  so  that  the  desired  objectives 
may  be  attained.  This  means  that  there  will  be  need  for  recognition 
of  the  difference  between  country  and  urban  schools  in  two  respects 
in  the  formulation  of  courses  of  study : 

(1)  Since  the  home  and  community  experiences  of  the  two 
groups  are  different  in  many  respects,  in  the  selection  of  teaching 
content  there  should  be  recognition  of  the  importance  of  the  school 
adjusting  its  activities  to  the  supplementing  of  the  child's  daily 
experiences.  This  will  call  for  a  teaching  content  that  will  be  some- 
what different  for  the  two  types  of  schools.  This  difference  would 
be  especially  marked  in  such  subjects  as  health  education  and  com- 
munity civics. 


232  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

(2)  Good  instruction  demands  that  the  work  of  the  school 
utilize  the  experiences  of  the  child  as  completely  as  possible.  As  a 
result  the  approach  to  many  topics  that  are  taught  in  the  schools 
should  be  different  for  country  children  from  that  adopted  for  urban 
children.  Illustrations  may  be  found  in  many  of  the  topics  of  arith- 
metic and  geography. 

THE  COURSE  OF  STUDY  A  TEACHER'S  MANUAL. 
The  State  board  of  education  should  be  responsible  for  the  com- 
pilation of  a  State  course  of  study  especially  adapted  to  rural 
schools.  In  its  formulation  the  best  talent  in  the  State  or,  if  neces- 
sary, in  the  entire  country  should  be  enlisted.  Such  a  State  course 
of  study  should  indicate : 

(1)  Objectives  to  be  attained. 

(2)  Principles  to  be  stressed  in  each  of  the  subjects  taught 
in  rural  schools. 

(3)  Desirable  methods  of  teaching  each  subject,  accompanied 
by  lesson  plans  illustrating  methods  described. 

(4)  A  method  of  outlining  an  entire  term's  work  by  problems 
closely  related  to  the  lives  of  the  rural  children  of  Oklahoma. 

(5)  Projects  that  would  serve  to  unify  the  organization  of 
the   various   school   subjects,    to    lengthen   teaching   periods,    and 
economize  time. 

(6)  Plans  for  lengthening  periods  by  combining  closely  re- 
lated branches  of  the  same  subject — literature,   composition,   and 
spelling,  for  example, — and  the  various  branches  of  science. 

(7)  A  plan  for  alternating  subject  matter  by  years  for  one 
and  two-teacher  schools. 

(8)  Minimum  essentials  for  each  grade  in  one-teacher  schools, 
with  additional  requirements  for  grades  in  schools  of  other  types. 

(9)  The  kind  of  organization  that  is  best  adapted  for  use 
in  the  various  types  of  rural  school,  the  one  and  two-room  and  the 
consolidated  school  of  varying  size. 

(10)  Suggestive   type   programs   for   one-room  schools,   two- 
room  and  consolidated  schools. 

(11)  Lists  of  supplementary  material  with  directions  for  its 
use,  including  the  place  of  current  literature  in  the  preparation  of 
children  for   intelligent  participation   in    government;    games   for 
motivating  drill  in  the  various  subjects,  etc. 

The  following  programs  suggest  a  method  of  lengthening 
periods  by  combining  grades,  alternating  subjects  and  teaching 


RURAL  SCHOOLS 


233 


during  a  single  period  closely  related  branches  of  the  same  subject, 
and  conform  to  the  principles  stated  above  : 

PROGRAM  FOR  ONE-TEACHER  SCHOOL. 

9 :00 —  9  :20     Morning  exercises  including  Health  Club  inspection. 

9 :20 —  9 :35     D  reading  and  phonics. 

9 :35 —  9 :50     C  reading  and  phonics. 

9 :50 —  9  :55     Setting  up  exercises. 

9:55—10:15     B  arithmetic. 
10:15—10:35     A  arithmetic. 
10:35 — 10:45     Organized  games. 
10:45—10:50     Recess. 

10:50 — 11:10     C  and  D  industrial  arts  and  number  work. 
11 :10 — 11 :30     B  geography  or  history. 
11:30—12:00     History  (3)  civics  (1)  current  events  (1). 
12 :00 —  1 :00    Lunch  and  game  period. 

1 :00 —  1 :15    D  reading   and   language,  ("based  on  nature  study 

1 :15 —  1 :35     C  reading   and   language,  j^or  primitive  life. 

1:35 —  1:50     Writing  for  entire  school  (4)  hygiene  (1). 

1:50 —  1:55     Setting  up  exercises. 

1:55 —  2:15    B  reading  (4)  hygiene  for  entire  school  (1). 

2:15 —  2:45     A  reading,  language  and  spelling. 

2:45 —  2:55     Organized  games  or  gymnastic  drill. 

2 :55—  3  :00     Recess. 

3:00 —  3:25     B  language  and  spelling   (4).  fHandwork 

3 :25 —  4 :00    A  general  science,  including  geography,  J  for  A  and  B 
agriculture,  home  economics.  [Groups  (1). 

Note :     A  group  includes  6th,  7th  and  8th  grades. 
B  group  includes  4th  and  5th  grades. 
C  group  includes  2nd  and  3rd  grades. 
D  group  includes  beginners  and  first  grade. 

PROGRAM  FOR  THE  GRAMMAR  GRADES  OF  A 
TWO-TEACHER  SCHOOL. 

$  :00 —  9  :20    Morning  exercises  including  health  inspection  (under 

pupil  leadership). 
9 :20 —  9 :25     Five    minute    period    practice    in    fundamentals    in 

arithmetic. 

9  :25—  9  :45     B  arithmetic. 
9:45—10:15     A  arithmetic. 
10:15 — 10:40     B  geography  or  history. 


234 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


10 :40— 10 :50     Organized  games. 

10 :50— 10 :55    Recess. 

10:55 — 11:30    A  history  (3)  civics  (1)  current  events  (1). 

11:30 — 12:00    B  language    and    spelling    (4)    hygiene    for    entire 

school  (1). 

12 :00 —  1 :00    Lunch  and  play  period. 
1 :00 —  1 :35    A  language  and  spelling. 
1:35—  1:55     Writing. 
1:55 —  2:00    Setting  up  exercises. 

2:00 —  2:30    B  reading  (4)  current  events  with  A  group  (1). 
2:30 —  2:40     Organized  games  or  gymnastic  drill. 
2:40 —  2:50     Recess. 
2:50 —  3:25    A  reading  (3)  music  for  entire  group  (1)  drawing 

or  handwork  for  entire  group  (1). 

3:25 —  4:00     A   general   science   including    geography    (3)    agri- 
culture (2)  home  economics. 
Note:     B  group  includes  5th  and  6th  grades. 
A  group  includes  7th  and  8th  grades. 

I-IV  PROGRAM  FOR  PRIMARY  GRADES  OF  A 
TWO-TEACHER  SCHOOL. 

9 :00 —  9 :20  Morning  exercises  including  health  inspection  under 
pupil  leadership. 

9 :20 —  9  :40  D  reading  and  language. 

9:40 — 10:00  C  reading  and  language. 

10:00 — 10:05  Setting  up  exercises  or  games. 

10:05 — 10:25  B  arithmetic  and  industrial  arts. 

10 :25 — 10 :45  A  arithmetic  and  industrial  arts. 

10 :45 — 10 :55  Organized  games. 

10:55—11:00  Recess. 

11 :00 — 11 :15  C  and  D  number  and  handwork  period. 

11 :15 — 11 :35  B  reading  based  on  nature  study  and  primitive  life. 

11 :35 — 12 :00  A  geography  or  history. 

12:00 —  liOO  Noon  recess  and  game  period. 

1:00 —  1:20  D  reading  and  phonics. 

1:20 —  1:40  C  reading  and  phonics. 

1 :40 —  2 :00  Writing  for  entire  group. 

2 :00 —  2 :05  Setting  up  exercises  or  relaxation  period. 

2:05—  2:30  B  reading. 

2 :30 —  2 :40  Organized  games  or  gymnastic  drill. 

2 :40—  2 :50  Recess. 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  235 

2:50 —  3.10    Music  for  entire  group. 
3:10 —  3:30    B  language  and  spelling. 
3:30 —  4:00     A  language  and  spelling. 
Note:     D  beginners. 

C  high  first  grade. 

B  second  grade. 

A  third  and  fourth  grades. 

PROVISION  FOR  TRAINING  RURAL  TEACHERS. 

The  State  of  Oklahoma  is  to  be  commended  for  establishing  six 
State  Schools  for  the  training  of  teachers.  Some  States  as  large 
and  populous  as  Oklahoma  have  not  as  many.  It  is,  however,  un- 
fortunate that  neither  in  the  organization  of  these  schools  nor  in 
the  law  which  establishes  requirements  for  teaching  certificates 
has  any  adequate  attention  been  given  to  the  supply  of  teachers 
for  rural  schools.  As  mentioned  in  other  sections  of  this  report  the 
quality  of  instruction  observed  in  rural  schools  is  their  greatest 
weakness  and  is  a  problem  with  which  the  least  progress  seems  to 
have  been  made. 

In  none  of  the  six  teachers'  colleges  are  there  strong  courses 
designed  especially  to  prepare  rural  teachers  and  emphasizing  the 
organization  and  curriculum  of  the  rural  school.  None  of  these 
institutions  has  provided  for  practice  and  observation  work  in 
rural  schools  for  teachers  in  training. 

It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  to  find  when  visiting  schools  in 
the  State  that  there  are  very  few  teachers  in  the  rural  schools  who 
have  completed  the  established  courses;  and  that  the  teaching  of 
those  who  have  had  complete  or  partial  training  at  these  institutions 
shows  very  little  improvement  over  that  of  those  who  have  not. 

Teachers  must  have  ideals  and  standards  of  good  schools  and 
good  school  practice  gained  through  systematic  observation  of 
both;  they  must  have  opportunity  for  abundant  practice  in  apply- 
ing principles  of  teaching  studied  in  courses  on  theory  and  method 
before  going  into  the  schools  to  take  full  responsibility  for  the 
education  of  a  group  of  children.  Unless  the  teacher  preparing 
institutions  furnish  such  ideals  and  provide  the  opportunity  to  their 
students  to  know  by  observation  how  good  rural  schools  are 
organized  and  conducted,  and  the  difference  between  good  and  poor 
schools  and  between  good  and  bad  teaching;  unless  they  show  the 
prospective  teacher  how  to  apply  the  principles  studied,  and  pro- 
vide ample  practice  in  making  the  application  under  normal  con- 


236  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

ditions,  teachers  will  continue  to  go  out  from  the  teacher  preparing 
institutions  without  any  significant  improvement  in  their  methods 
of  teaching,  and  learn  their  work  by  experience  and  experi- 
mentation at  the  expense  of  the  children  in  their  charge.  This  is. 
exactly  the  thing  normal  schools  were  established  to  avoid.  So 
far  at  least,  the  influence  of  the  teacher  preparing  institutions  of 
Oklahoma  on  the  rural  communities  of  the  State  and  their  services 
to  the  rural  children  arei  negligible. 

NEEDS  OF  RURAL  SECTIONS  NEGLECTED. 

It  is  doubtless  true  in  Oklahoma  as  it  is  in  some  other  States 
that  the  teachers'  colleges  are  inadequately  supported;  that  they 
are  not  turning  out  as  many  teachers  as  the  State  needs ;  that,  there- 
fore, the  prepared  teachers  can  get  positions  in  towns  and  cities  and 
do  not  as  school  officials  say  "need  to  go  into  the  country  schools". 
But  this  does  not  excuse  the  State  for  shirking  its  responsibility  to 
country  children.  That  salaries  for  rural  teachers  are  too  low  to  be 
attractive  is  the  fault  in  part  (not  wholly  as  explained  in  the  sec- 
tion on  school  support)  of  the  rural  people.  That  standards  are  so 
low  that  prepared  teachers  do  not  need  to  go  into  rural  schools 
is  the  fault  of  the  State  in  which  its  teacher  preparing  institutions 
must  share.  The  State  should  set  up  and  enforce  standards  for 
teaching  certificates;  the  normal  schools  must  assume  certain 
responsibilities  toward  setting  these  standards  and  preparing 
teachers  to  meet  them,  and  must  help  the  rural  people  to  realize  their 
educational  needs,  as  well  as  prepare  teachers  to  meet  them. 

Approximately  75  per  cent  of  the  population  of  Oklahoma  is; 
rural.  It  is  to  be  assumed  that  this  high  percentage  of  the  pop- 
ulation pays  its  proportionate  share  toward  the  support  of  the 
State  teacher  preparing  institutions.  In  return  for  their  expenditure 
the  rural  schools  receive  practically  nothing  in  the  way  of  the 
service  which  they  were  established  to  provide. 

In  order  that  the  State  Teachers'  Colleges  may  more  nearly 
fulfill  their  purpose  they  should  be  organized  to  prepare  rural 
teachers  for  their  respective  sections.  The  legislature  should  ap- 
propriate funds  to  enable  them  to  do  this,  and  should  expect  the  in- 
stitutions to  prepare  a  constantly  increasing  percentage  of  the 
student  body  for  teaching  in  rural  schools.  This  is  no  new  idea; 
other  States  (including  most  of  those  bordering  on  Oklahoma)  have 
made  considerable  progress  in  both  resident  and  extension  work 
for  improving  rural  school  conditions  and  preparing  rural  teachers.. 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  237 

To  accomplish  this  end  special  courses  should  be  established 
beginning  in  the  summer  of  1923.  Entrance  requirements  should 
be  the  same  as  for  other  courses.  A  director  of  the  rural  educa- 
tion department  should  be  secured  equal  in  scholarship,  in  profes- 
sional skill  and  experience,  and  in  personality  with  the  heads  of 
other  major  departments,  and  should  receive  the  maximum  salary. 

Groups  of  rural  schools  should  be  selected  to  be  used  for  ob- 
servation and  practice  centers.  These  may  be  located  in  the 
county  in  which  the  institution  is  located  or  in  adjacent  centers, — 
preferably  both  plans  should  be  initiated  as  soon  as  possible.  The 
local  schools  so  affiliated  would  gain  by  closer  association  with  a 
State  institution  and  expert  advice  from  its  instructors;  the  insti- 
tution and  expert  advice  from  its  instructors ;  the  institution  would 
gain  by  coming  into  close  touch  with  conditions  in  the  field  as  well 
as  through  gaining  the  opportunity  for  increasing  its  training  school 
facilities.  The  salaries  of  the  teachers  in  the  schools  affiliated  with 
the  training  school  and  used  for  observation  and  practice  should 
be  supplemented  by  the  institution  served  and  their  appointments 
approved. 

This  plan  would  necessitate  some  enlargement  of  the  training 
school  staff.  It  is  very  desirable  that  all  members  of  a  training 
school  staff  spend  some  time  in  the  field,  helping  graduates  and 
other  students  who  are  teaching;  bringing  back  to  the  institution 
a  better  idea  of  practical  needs,  and  supervising  the  training  in  af- 
filiated schools.  Much  good  might  be  accomplished  by  adding 
one  person  to  the  full  staff  for  this  purpose,  and  arranging  a  rotat- 
ing staff  with  one  member  constantly  in  the  field. 

The  State  teachers'  colleges  should  assist  in  raising  the  stand- 
ard of  teachers  by  establishing  strong  courses  and  extension  cen- 
ters offering  the  highest  possible  grade  of  service  to  rural  teachers 
in  service.  These  courses  should  not  compromise  in  any  sense 
with  high  standards  of  work  as  given  in  the  institution  itself,  but 
should  be  designed  to  give  teachers  an  opportunity  to  improve 
while  continuing  in  the  service. 

If  standards  for  certification  are  raised  as  recommended  in 
another  section  of  this  report,  definite  arrangements  should  be 
made  through  co-operation  of  the  State  Board  of  Education  and 
the  teachers'  colleges  to  enable  successful  teachers  of  experience, 
who  entered  the  system  prior  to  their  adoption,  to  meet  the  stand- 
ards. All  courses  established  for  this  purpose  should  be  approved 


238  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

by  the  State  board  of  education  and  should  include  opportunity 
for  observation  and  practice  as  well  as  training  in  theory  and 
method. 

TEACHER  TRAINING  IN  SECONDARY  SCHOOLS. 

The  secondary  departments  of  the  six  teachers'  colleges,  the 
four  State  agricultural  schools,  and  68  city  high  schools  offer 
teacher  training  courses  leading  to  a  State  two  year  certificate  and 
designated  as  especially  for  the  preparation  of  teachers  in  rural 
schools.  The  law  authorizing  these  courses  and  the  issue  of  the  cer- 
tificates was  passed  in  1915.  In  accordance  with  its  provisions  a 
supplement  to  the  State  high  school  course  of  study  was  prepared 
for  the  teacher  training  classes  which  is  briefly  as  follows : 

"At  least  one-half  unit  in  psychology;  one-half  unit  in  the 
science  of  teaching;  one  full  unit  in  American  history  and  govern- 
ment; one  full  year's  work  in  agriculture,  with  laboratory  and 
demonstration  work,  giving  special  attention  to  school  gardens 
and  practice;  not  less  than  one  full  unit  in  domestic  science  for 
girls,  and  not  less  than  one  full  unit  in  manual  training  for  boys, 
one  full  unit  in  reviews  courses  of  six  weeks  each,  to  include  the  sub- 
jects of  physiology  and  sanitation,  grammar,  reading,  penmanship, 
spelling,  arithmetic  and  geography;  and  one  hour,  or  its  equivalent 
in  time  to  be  devoted  to  observation  work,  lessons  plans,  and  practice 
teaching  in  all  grades  from  the  first  to  the  eighth  inclusive." — Re- 
port of  State  Superintendent  for  1921-22. 

Definite  information  concerning  the  number  of  certificates 
issued  to  graduates  of  secondary  departments  at  the  six  teachers' 
colleges  is  not  available.  There  were  804  students  enrolled  in 
normal  training  classes  in  all  other  high  schools  in  the  State  (in- 
cluding State  agricultural  schools,  a  few  private  schools  and  city 
high  schools)  during  the  school  year  1921-22,  and  629  certificates 
issued.  The  courses  are  elective  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  grades. 
Graduates  of  these  courses  were  observd  by  members  of  the  staff 
in  rural,  village,  consolidated,  and  city  schools.  In  some  counties 
very  few  such  graduates  were  found  in  the  ungraded  rural  schools. 
In  others  there  were  a  good  many. 

Members  of  the  staff  visited  25  of  the  normal  training  classes  in 
high  schools,  conferred  with  the  instructors  in  most  cases,  and 
visited  the  schools  (usually  city  graded  schools)  in  which  observa- 
tion and  practice  work  are  done  in  nearly  all.  The  instruction  is 
given  by  teachers  on  the  regular  high  school  staff  who  handle  other 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  239 

subjects  as  well  as  training  class  courses;  by  the  superintendent 
of  the  city  school  system ;  by  the  principal  of  the  high  school ;  and 
by  teachers  selected  solely  for  training  class  work. 

In  one  city  high  school  and  in  one  State  agricultural  school  the 
work  is  given  after  graduation  as  a  fifth  year  or  post  graduate 
course.  In  most  cases  the  instructors  in  charge  were  men  or 
women  of  superior  ability  and  personality  as  well  as  education 
and  experience.  They  were  in  most  cases  doing  as  good  work  as 
possible  under  very  adverse  circumstances. 

DIFFICULTIES  CONFRONTING  TEACHER  TRAINING  CLASS 

ES  IN  HIGH  SCHOOLS. 
Some  of  the  obstacles  encountered  in  classes  observed  are : 

(1)  There  is  no  adequate  opportunity  for  observation  and  prac- 
tice under  direction.       Practice  work  consists  in  substituting  for 
regular  teachers,  in  many  cases.      No  opportunity  for  practice  and 
very  little  for  observation  of  rural  schools  was  given  to  the  classes 
visited  by  members  of  the  staff.      Students  observe  unskilled  teach- 
ing in  both  city  and  rural  schools  at  least  as  often  as  they  observe 
skilled  teaching. 

(2)  The  instruction  is  unsatisfactory.       Too  many  subjects 
must  be  crowded  into  a  short  time ;  e.  g. — psychology  and  pedagogy 
in  a  single  semester;  methods  in  several  common  branches  into  a 
six  weeks  period.      Not  only  is  time  too  limited  but  one  instructor 
must  cover  too  many  subjects.      It  is  unreasonable  to  expect  the 
same  person  to  have  specialized  adequately  in  all  the  required  sub- 
jects. 

(3)  Too  much  of  the  professional  work  observed  is  of  an  ex- 
tremely formal  nature.      Many  students  sacrifice  a  year  which  could 
be  given  to  good  academic  training  for  one  of  so-called  professional 
work,  meagre  and  of  poor  quality.       In  many  cases  they  are  too 
immature  to  prepare  for  teaching — even  too  young  to  receive  cer- 
tificates under  the  law. 

(4)  In  several  cities  visited,  it  is  believed,  the  money  spent 
for  a  special  instructor  for  the  normal  training  class  in  high  school 
would  be  more   economically   and   effectually   used   to    employ   a 
supervisor  of  elementary  grades.      In  other  instances  the  principal 
or  superintendent  seemed  to  be  neglecting  very  important  supervi- 
sory duties  in  order  to    give  his  time  to  the  training  class. 

The  establishment  of  normal  training  classes  in  secondary 
schools  is  a  compromise  with  the  real  solution  of  the 


240  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 

rural    teacher    preparing    problem.  It    is     difficult    to     see 

how  the  State  can  justify  itself  in  setting  up  two  standards  for  qual- 
ified teachers,  one  requiring  graduation  from  high  school  and  an 
additional  two  years  of  college  grade  work;  the  other  requiring 
graduation  from  a  secondary  school  only,  with  a  minimum  of  pro- 
fessional work. 

It  is  a  gross  injustice  to  rural  children  and  to  farm  people  to 
expect  them  to  be  satisfied  with  an  inferior  product  while  superior 
teachers  are  trained  for  city  schools  at  State  expense.  The  train- 
ing of  teachers  for  the  rural  schools  is  really  a  State  responsibility 
rather  than  a  local  one;  so  long  as  it  is  under  local  direction  and 
control  there  will  be,  as  now,  some  good  and  some  poor  work  found 
in  the  normal  training  classes  varying  according  to  local  conditions. 
Uniformity  in  quality  is  not  possible. 

RECOMMENDATIONS  FOR  IMPROVEMENT. 

The  training  class  as  a  part  of  the  program  for  the  professional 
training  of  teachers  should  be  regarded  as  a  temporary  expedient, 
and  gradually  abolished  as  requirements  for  certificates  are  raised. 
It  is  undoubtedly  true  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  use  of 
it  for  several  years.  In  order  to  make  it  as  effective  as  possible 
during  this  interval  the  following  suggestions  are  offered: 

(1)  Reasonably  uniform  standards  for  all  rural  teacher  pre- 
paring courses  leading  to  certification  or  renewal,  or  credited  in 
whole  or  in  part  toward  certification,  should  be  established  by  the 
State  board  of  education,  and  the  courses  should  be  inspected  and 
approved  by  officials  of  the  board  on  the  basis  of  these  standards. 

(2)  Teachers  in  charge  of  training  classes  should  have  no  other 
teaching  duties.       They  should  devote  their  entire  time  to  the  in- 
struction of  the  training  class  pupils  and  to  supervision  and  guidance 
of  their  obesrvation  and  teaching.       Too  frequently  these  latter 
aspects  of  the  work  are  done  in  a  prefunctory  manner.       The  ob- 
servation and  supervised  teaching  should  be  a  fundamental  part 
of  the  professional  training  and  should  be  put  on  a  better  basis 
than  it  now  is  in  the  high  school  training  classes  of  the  State. 

(3)  The  State  department  of  education  should  develop  in  co- 
operation with  at  least  one  State  institution  a  summer  course,  at- 
tendance at  which  should  be  required  of  all  who  are  to  serve  as 
training    class  teachers.      This  course  should  extend  over  a  period 
of  at  least  six  weeks,  and  should  be  devoted  exclusively  to  the  prob- 
lems of  the  organization  of  work,  teaching  content,  and  observation 
and  supervised  teaching  for  the  training  class.      There  is  need  for 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  241 

immediate  action  in  this  matter  in  order  that  the  instruction  in 
the  training  classes  may  be  put  on  a  more  vital  basis  than  generally 
obtains  at  present. 

(4)  All  training  class  teachers  who  have  not  taught  in  the 
country  schools  during  the  past  ten  years  should  be  required  to  ob- 
tain such  experinece.       The  number  of  country  schools  having  a 
summer  term  will  make  it  possible  to  do  this  without  interference 
with  their  work  during  the  regular  year,  and  there  can  be  little 
question  about  the  beneficial  reaction  that  it  will  have  on  their  work 
as    training  class  teachers. 

(5)  There  should  be   at  least   one   rural  school   with  which 
the  high  school  having  a  training  class  is  cooperating.      It  would  be 
desirable  if  the  high  school  district  cooperate  with  this  school  in 
the  employment  of  a  superior  teacher.       In  cases  where  there  are 
a  large  number  of  students  in  the  training  class  there  should  be 
more  than  one  such  cooperating  school.       This  arrangement  will 
make  it  possible  for  the  students  in  training  to  have  an  opportunity 
to  observe  and  teach  in  a  country  school  that  is  well  organized  and 
in  which  the  instruction  is  on  a  high  plane. 

Too  large  a  proportion  of  the  observation  and  teaching  that  the 
training  class  students  are  now  doing  is  confined  to  the  grades  of 
the  city  or  village  school.  The  result  is  that  too  frequently  they 
go  out  quite  ignorant  of  the  problems  they  will  have  to  face  in 
the  country  school.  They  have  no  idea  of  what  constitutes  an 
efficiently  organized  and  taught  country  school. 

(6)  In  accordance  with  the  recommendations  made  under  the 
certification  of  teachers,  the  training  class  work  should  soon  become 
an  additional  year  to  be  required  after  high  school  graduation.  When 
this  situation  obtains  it  will  be  possible  for  the  teacher  of  the  train- 
ing class  to  have  entire  control  of  the  time  of  the  students,  and  to 
arrange  for  more  contact  with  country  school  conditions  on  the 
part  of  those  in  training.      This  is  very  desirable. 

(7)  During  the  time  the  training  classes  continue  there  should 
be  liberal  State  assistance  to  local  districts  that  are  maintaining 
training  classes  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of  the  State 
board.      This  assistance  may  well  go  as  far  as  to  provide  a  grant 
to  teachers  required  to  attend  the  suggested  six  weeks  of  training 
and  a  per  capita  allowance  for  students  in  training. 

These  recommendations  should  be  put  into  operation  with  full 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  training  class  is  to  be  regarded  only 
as  a  temporary  expedient.  As  long  as  it  is  maintained  it  should 
be  conducted  on  such  a  basis  as  to  send  out  the  best  teachers  that 


242 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


can  be  trained  in  an  institution  with  the  distinct  limitations  that 
the  training  class  must  have.  The  State  should  look  forward  to  the 
time  when  there  will  be  a  well  organized  department  of  rural 
education  in  each  one  of  the  State  colleges  and  when  standards  for 
certification  are  equivalent  for  teaching  in  rural  and  urban  schools. 

CENTRALIZATION  OF  SCHOOLS. 

The  people  of  Oklahoma  are  to  be  commended  for  the  progress 
they  have  made  in  the  consolidation  of  schools  in  the  face  of  serious 
financial  obstacles.  The  movement  has  been  advanced  in  a  mark- 
ed degree,  and  quite  generally  throughout  the  State.  The  State 
department  of  education  and  county  superintendents  have  apparent- 
ly cooperated  with  unusual  success  both  in  the  number  of  schools 
centralized  and  in  their  distribution  throughout  the  State.  All  but 
five  counties  have  either  consolidated  or  union  graded  schools,  or 
independent  districts  which  transport  children  from  rural  commun- 
ities. Several  counties,  Jackson,  Tulsa,  Greer,  for  example,  seem 
to  have  pushed  the  movement  or  to  have  completed  plans  for  doing 
so  to  as  great  a  degree  as  is  practicable  under  present  conditions. 

PROPOSED   CENTRALIZED    SCHOOLS    IN    CANADIAN   COUNTY. 


Group  XIX 


GROUP  VI.          CONSOLIDATED,   J911. 
GROUP  VII.       CONSOLIDATED,   1920. 
GROUP  XX.        CONSOLIDATED,   1920. 
GROUP  XXIII.  UNION  GRADED,  1920. 
GROUP  XXIII.  CONSOLIDATED,   1921. 

FIGURE  18 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  243 

Assistance  from  the  State  has  been  effective  both  in  spreading 
propaganda  in  favor  of  the  centralization  idea  and  in  making  plans 
for  the  distribution  of  consolidated  districts  within  the  counties. 
(See  Figure  18). 

Fewer  errors  have  been  made  in  the  way  of  leaving  out  from 
the  boundaries  of  such  districts  isolated  strips  of  territory  than  in 
many  States  because  of  this  careful  planning  of  the  county  superin- 
tendents and  the  State  rural  supervisors  in  most  of  the  counties  in 
which  consolidation  has  proceeded  to  any  appreciable  degree.  These 
officials  have  cooperated  in  arranging  for  sane  county- wide  plans 
before  any  centralization  were  consumated. 

The  practice  of  forming  union  graded  districts  where  full  con- 
solidation seemed  impracticable  except  as  a  future  policy  has  re- 
sulted in  an  increase  in  the  number  of  consolidated  schools.  The 
tendency  for  consolidated  districts  to  become  independent  districts, 
and  for  union  graded  districts  to  become  consolidated  districts  as 
soon  as  they  are  able  to  fulfill  the  stipulated  conditions,  is  quite 
generally  apparent.  The  number  of  districts  which  have  evolved 
into  independent  districts  during  the  three  year  period  is  shown 
below :  Table  40. 

TABLE  40. 
NUMBER  OF  CONSOLIDATED  SCHOOLS. 

Total  number  accredited  consolidated  high  schools  131 

Total  number  accredited  union  graded  high  schools  21 

Total  number  accredited  centralized  high  schools  _152 

Number  of  consolidated  high  schools  accredited  for  more  than 

16  units  64 

Number  of  consolidated  high  schools  accredited  for  less  than 

16  units 64 

Number  of  union  graded  high  schools  accredited  for  more  than 

16  units  _ „ 11 

Number  of  union  graded  high  schools  accredited  for  less  than 

16   units  10 

Note : — The  numbers  of  units  are  not  given  for  3  consolidated  high 
schools.  These  belong  to  the  "  North  Central  Association 
of  Secondary  Schools  and  are  accredited  for  the  work  which 
they  offer  when  properly  certified  to  by  the  regular  school 
officials." 


244 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


TABLE  41. 
DISTRIBUTION  OF  CENTRALIZED  SCHOOLS  BY  COUNTIES. 


Counties  having  none. 
Adair 

Cherokee 

Coal 

Delaware 

Kay 

Counties  having  one. 

Bryan 

Latimer 

Love 

Mayes 

Murray 

Osage 

Counties  having  two. 

Atoka 

Cleveland 

Craig 

Haskell 

Jefferson 

Marshall 

McCurtain 

Ottawa 

Pushmataha 

Counties  having  three. 

Ellis  McClain 

Garvin  Noble 

Grant  Pontotoc 

LeFlore  Sequoyah 

Lincoln  Woods 

Major 

Counties  having  four. 

Choctaw 

Comanche 

Pawnee 

Payne 

Pittsburg 

Seminole 

Wagoner 


Counties  having  five. 
Cotton  Logan 

Creek  Muskogee 

Custer  Nowata 

Garfield  Stephens 

Harper  Washington 

Counties  having  six. 
Alfalfa  Kiowa 

Canadian  Okfuskee 

Carter  Tulsa 

Kingfisher 

Oounties  having  seven. 
Blaine  Pottawatomie 

Cimarron  Rogers 

Mclntosh  Woodward 

Counties  having  eight. 
Beckham  Texas 

Hughes  Washita 

Counties  having  nine. 

Beaver  Harmon 

Caddo  Oklahoma 

Dewey  Okmulgee 

Grady  Tillman 

Counties  having  eleven. 
Johnston 

Counties  having  fourteen. 

Roger  Mills 

Counties  having  fifteen. 

Greer 

Counties  having  twenty-three. 

Jackson. 


RURAL  SCHOOLS 


245 


246  PUBLIC  KDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

CONSOLIDATED  AND  UNION  GRADED  DISTRICTS  REPORTED 
AS  INDEPENDENT  DISTRICTS  DURING  THE  THREE 
YEARS  1919,  1921  and  1922. 

Year  Consolidated  Union  Graded  Total 

1919                               46                                 4  50 

1921  61                                 9  70 

1922  78                               10  88 

Some  idea  of  the  rapidity  with  which  the  movement  is  growing 
is  shown  by  the  fact  that  during  the  year  1921,  86  centralized  dis- 
tricts .received  State  aid,  that  is,  were  formed  during  that  year. 
Of  these,  62  were  consolidated-  districts  and  25  union  graded  dis- 
tricts; The  number  $nd  location  of  centralized  schools,  their  dis- 
tribution among  counties  and  information  concerning,  high  school 
departments  are  shown  in  Figure  19  and  in  Tables  40  and  41. 

LARGER  DISTRICTS  AND  HIGHER  VALUATIONS  NEEDED. 

There  is  much  evidence  t  oindicate  that  in  many  instances,  in 
fact  in  some  instances  m  nearly  all  the  counties  visited,  consolidation 
has  been  stimulated  beyond  the  possibilities  for  sound  and  sub- 
stantial growth.  This  observation  was  verified  by  consultation 
with  county  superintendents.  The  majority  of  those  visited  felt 
that  there  was  grave  danger  that  many  consolidated  schools  would 
fee  forced  to  retrench  during  the  coming  school  year  either  through 
cutting  the  length  of  term  or  the  teachers  salaries.  Indeed,  a  num- 
TDer  of  schools  have  already  been  forced  to  use  either  one  or  both 
.of  these  measures. 

Significant  reductions  in  tax  valuations  have  recently  been  made 
and  will  be  felt  more  within  the  coming  year  than  they  have  been 
during  the  present  one.  The  situation  is  serious.  In  many  con- 
solidated districts  the  valuation  is  too  small  to  support  efficient 
graded  and  high  schools.  Small  high  schools  are  ambitious  to  present 
varied  programs,  and  a  practice  has  grown  up  in  the  State  by  which 
the  State  department  accredits  schools  for  a  given  number  of  points 
or  subjects.  Many  small  high  schools  with  few  teachers  are  credi- 
ted for  as  many  as  30  or  40  different  subjects  instead  of  the  regu- 
lation 16  actually  demanded  by  accrediting  authorities. 

When  small  schools  attempt  to  cover  so  much  ground  it  follows 
that  their  teachers  are  teaching  too  many  hours  and  too  many  sub- 
jects, or  too  many  high  school  teachers  are  employed  in  proportion 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  247 

to  the  districts  income  and  the  elementary  grades  suffer  either  by 
being  over-crowded  or  by  having  too  many  grades  to  the  teacher. 
The  committee  was  very  much  impressed  with  the  number  of  small 
high  schools  which  in  the  judgment  of  the  observers  were  maintain- 
ed at  the  expense  of  the  efficiency  of  the  elementary  schools.  In 
several  instances  observed  there  were  high  school  departments  of  50 
to  75  pupils  having  four  teachers  and  several  small  classes  of  from 
five  to  ten  pupils,  while  in  the  elementary  grades  in  the  same  school 
one  teacher  had  charge  of  40  or  more  children  and  two  or  more 
grades. 

Another  sign  of  useless  pretentiousness  is  the  custom,  which 
seems  very  general  in  consolidated  schools  and  small  independent 
districts,  of  employing  a  superintendent — so  called — who  is  really  a 
teacher  since  he  spends  most  of  his  time  teaching  and  practically 
no  time  supervising,  or  of  employing  a  high  school  principal  who 
again  is  a  teacher,  and  a  grade  principal  who  again  is  a  teacher. 

One  consolidated  school  observed  had  a  high  school  department 
of  approximately  50  children  with  three  teachers  in  the  high  school 
and  four  in  the  grades.  Of  the  three  high  school  teachers  one 
was  called  a  superintendent,  one  a  principal,  and  one  a  teacher.  The 
salaries  received  were  measurably  appropriate  for  such  officials,  but 
the  work  done  by  the  superintendent  and  principal  was  of  the  same 
kind  as  that  done  by  the  teacher,  namely  teaching  classes  every  hour 
during  the  school  day. 

Such  an  arrangement  is  a  foolish  waste  of  money.  If  the 
board  employs  a  superintendent  and  pays  him  a  superitendent 's 
salary,  he  should  be  free  to  do  the  superintendent's  work,  which 
is  not  that  of  teaching  eight  classes  per  school  day.  The  same  is 
true  of  the  principal  working  on  a  principal's  salary  and  doing 
the  work  of  a  teacher.  The  superintendent  or  principal  who  teaches 
full  time  earns  the  salary  of  a  teacher  but  does  not  earn  the  salary 
of  a  superintendent  or  principal.  Merely  assuming  the  title  of 
superintendent,  does  not  assure  earning  the  salary  so  long  as  the 
job  is  that  of  teaching. 

This  must  not  be  understood  to  indicate  that  superintendents 
and  principals  are  either  unnecessary  in  a  school  system  or  that  they 
should  not  receive  salaries  higher  than  those  accompanying  teach- 
ing positions.  Quite  the  contrary.  It  does  mean,  however,  that 
the  district  should  be  large  enough  and  rich  enough  to  support  a 
superintendent  or  a  supervising  principal,  or  there  should  be  a  com- 


248  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

bination  of  several  smaller  consolidated  districts  made,  the  combined 
territory  of  which  is  large  enough  to  support  such  officials,  who 
should  be  given  the  authority  and  the  time  to  do  the  work  of 
superintendent  or  principal  and  be  paid  accordingly. 

ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS  THE  FIRST  CONSIDERATION. 

High  schools  are  essential  parts  of  the  educational  scheme. 
They  are  and  should  be  supplied  for  all  rural  as  well  as  all  city 
children.  But  in  a  democratic  State  elementary  schools  are  the 
first  essential  and  must  not  be  sacrificed.  Placing  first  grade  chil- 
dren in  a  dark,  unventilated  basement  room  while  the  laboratory  is 
located  in  a  light  second  story  one;  organizing  schools  in  such 
a  way  that  a  primary  teacher  has  two  or  more  grades  and  40  or 
more  children,  while  high  school  teachers  have  classes  of  five  or  ten 
in  a  high  school  department  offering  25  or  more  accredited  subjects, 
shows  poor  management,  and  the  actual  result  is  that  such  a  high 
school  department  is  maintained  at  the  expense  of  the  children  in 
the  elementary  schools. 

In  most  instances  where  these  conditions  were  observed  they  were 
not  only  unwarranted,  but  unnecessary.  It  is  far  better  in  small 
high  schools  to  offer  fewer  subjects  with  effective  work  in  each 
than  to  aim  to  explore  a  large  field  of  electives  few  of  which  can  be 
well  done,  and  for  the  maintenance  of  which  the  efficiency  of  the 
.elementary  grades  must  be  sacrificed.  The  trouble  is  in  part  one 
of  school  organization;  in  part  one  of  inadequate  support  due  to 
the  formation  of  districts  for  elementary  and  high  school  purposes 
with  insufficient  valuation  to  maintain  them  properly. 

AMPLE  RESOURCES  SHOULD  BE  ASSURED. 

A  study  of  the  tax  valuation  of  107  consolidated  districts  re- 
portin'g  to  the  State  department  in  1921-22  shows  that  there  are 
29  with  a  valuation  of  $500,000  or  less,  28  with  valuations  between 
$500,000  and  $700,000,  24  with  valuations  between  $700,000  and 
.$1,000,000,  22  between  one  and  two  millions,  and  four  with  valuation 
-of  over  $2,000,000.  Some  district  valuations  are  as  low  as  $200,- 
*000,  several  are  between  $200,000  and  $300,000.  Only  one  is  over 
five  and  two  over  four  millions. 

Of  the  107  districts  the  average  size  is  36  sq.  mi.,  the  average 
valuation  $770,000,  the  average  cost  of  the  maintenance  $12,400, 
transportation  costs  on  the  average  24  per  cent  of  the  total  mainten- 
ance expense.  Centralized  districts  which  aim  to  support  element- 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  249 

ary  and  high  schools  with  less  than  $12,000  per  year,  and  furnish 
transportation,  must  be  managed  very  economically,  particularly 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  a  large  percentage  of  the  maintenance 
funds  must  necessarily  be  spent  for  transportation. 

Probably  no  stronger  evidence  of  the  need  of  a  large  proportion 
of  total  support  from  State  funds  can  be  furnished  than  that  offer- 
ed by  certain  consolidated  districts  in  the  State  which  spend  as 
much  as  60  per  cent  of  maintenance  funds  for  transportation.  The 
serious  handicap  which  the  rural  consolidated  districts  must  over- 
come as  compared  with  the  village  or  city  districts  of  like  resources 
shows  clearly  the  need  of  increased  State  support  if  the  goal  of 
equality  of  educational  opportunity  is  to  be  realized. 

An  examination  of  the  last  report  of  the  high  school  inspectors 
shows  that  of  131  centralized  schools  which  maintain  accredited 
high  school  departments  64  or  49  per  cent  are  credited  for  more 
than  16  units.  Of  21  graded  schools  listed  in  this  report  which 
are  accredited  11,  or  52  per  cent,  are  accredited  for  more  than  16 
units.  In  view  of  the  small  valuations  and  relatively  small  enroll- 
ment described  above,  it  would  seem  the  part  of  good  judgment 
to  offer  fewer  subjects  and  do  better  work  in  these  small  schools, 
at  least  until  increased  sources  of  revenues  are  found. 

TRAINING  OF  SUPERINTENDENTS     AND     PRINCIPALS  OF 

CONSOLIDATED   SCHOOLS 

* 

The  consolidation  of  schools  furnishes  the  physical  environment 
which  makes  good  schools  possible,  but  does  not  in  itself  insure  ef- 
ficiency. Those  who  occupy  administrative  positions  in  consolidat- 
ed schools  need  a  practical  but  broad  vision  of  their  possibilities. 
The  teaching  personnel  is  still  a  very  important  factor  in  education. 

Oklahoma  has  375  centralized  schools.  New  ones  are  being 
rapidly  established.  The  organization,  management,  courses  of 
study  in  these  schools  offer  special  problems  which  are  of  growing 
importance  to  the  educational  welfare  of  the  State.  These  problems 
are  not  being  satisfactorily  met.  This  statement  is  made  with  full 
recognition  of  the  admirable  service  that  many  men  and  women  in 
these  positions  are  rendering  in  the  face  of  trying  circumstances. 
All  the  consolidated  schools  should  be  raised  at  least  to  the  standard 
of  the  best  in  the  near  future.  A  well-trained  body  of  men  and 
women  for  the  administrative  positions  of  the  consolidated  schools 
is  a  necessity  if  this  change  is  to  be  brought  about. 


250  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

The  following  suggestions  are  made  as  a  means  to  this  end. 

(1)  The  State  department  of  education  in  cooperation  with 
the  University  of  Oklahoma  and  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College  should  maintain  during  the  summer  of  1923  a  course  at 
least  six  weeks  in  length  at  each  of  these  institutions.      This  course 
should  be  organized  to  meet  the  needs  of  principals  and  superintend- 
ents of  consolidated  schools.      It  should  occupy  their  full  time  and 
should  be  devoted  to  the  administration,  curriculum,  and  teaching 
problems  found  in  this  type  of  school.       There  should  also  be  in- 
struction designed  to  give  these  teachers  familiarity  with  the  larger 
social  and  economic  problems  of  the  rural  community  in  Oklahoma. 
Attendance  at  one  of  these  courses  should  be  required  of  all  prin- 
cipals and  superintendents  of  consolidated  schools,  and  there  should 
be  a  State  grant  to  each  one  attending. 

(2)  Summer  instruction   of  the   character  suggested   should 
be  a  regular  feature  in  the  institutions  named,  but  will  not  be 
adequate.      In  both  institutions  named  there  should  be  strong  de- 
partments of  rural  education  devoted  to  the  training  of  leaders  for 
service  in  the  rural  schools  of  the  State,  including  courses  designed 
to  meet  the  needs  of  those  who  are  going  into  administrative  posi- 
tions in  the  consolidated  schools  of  the  State. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  both  the  University  and  the  Agricul- 
tural and  Mechanical  College  participate  in  this  work  for  two  rea- 
sons: 

(1)  Each  institution,  because  of  the  nature  of  its  work,  has  a 
distinct  contribution  to  make. 

(2)  The  number  of  persons  demanded  for     administrative 
positions  in  the   consolidated  schools  is  large   enough  to   justify 
the  maintenance  of  work  at  two  centers. 

Larger  valuations;  combination  of  two  or  more  of  the  small 
and  financially  poor  districts  for  the  employment  of  a  superintend- 
ent or  supervising  principal,  with  a  plan  for  division  of  time  and 
pro-rating  of  salary  among  the  districts  served;  a  strong  teaching 
staff;  better  organization  on  the  part  of  union  graded  and  consoli- 
dated schools  maintaining  high  schools,  and  concentration  on  fewer 
subjects;  larger  increments  in  the  way  of  State  aid,  especially  for 
transportation:  All  these  are  essential  to  make  the  consolidation 
movement  a  success  in  Oklahoma. 

Most  of  these  needs  can  be  taken  care  of  best  through  the  form 
of  county  wide  administration  of  schools  as  recommended  in  Chap- 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  251 

ter  III.    Strong  professional  leadership  an  deffective  administration 
policies  can  then  be  provided  and  carried  out  to  effective  ends. 

TEACHERS  HOMES. 

Teachers  homes  have  been  provided  by  a  large  number  of  the 
centralized  districts,  159  centralized  districts  having  reported  on 
this  item  in  1921-22.  Of  these,  52  have  teacher  homes,  and  94  have 
auditoriums  in  connection  with,  or  as  part  of,  the  school  building. 

There  are  347  teachers  homes  in  the  State  owned  or  rented 
by  the  districts  and  occupied  by  superintendents,  principals,  teach- 
ers, or  janitors.  Five  of  these  homes  are  occupied  by  negro  teach- 
ers, and  maintained  in  connection  with  schools  for  colored  chil- 
dren. 

A  STATE  PROGRAM  IN  RURAL   SECONDARY  EDUCATION 
GUIDING  PRINCIPLES. 

(1)  The  present  consensus  of  expert  opinion  holds  that  it  is 
the  business  of  the  locality  to  provide  facilities  for  elementary  and 
secondary  education  in  accordance  with  its  ability  to  pay  for  edu- 
cation, and  that  it  then  becomes  the  duty  of  the  State  to  supplement 
local  effort  to  such  extent  as  is  necessary  to  provide  actual  equality 
of  educational  opportunity  to  all  children  of  the  State  in  so  far  as 
is  possible. 

This  consensus  of  opinion  has  come  about  through  observation 
of  various  State  experiments,  beginning  in  complete  local  support 
of  schools  in  our  early  history,  and  slowly  evolving  through  various 
degrees  of  State  aid  administered  according  to  a  variety  of  schemes 
of  distribution. 

(2)  It  is  the  province  of  organization  in  the  State  system  of 
secondary  schools  to  extend  an  effective  type  of  education  to  the 
highest  possible  percentage   of  children  of  secondary  school  age 
in  the  most  economical  way. 

(3)  It  is  the  function  of  secondary  curricula  to  offer  such  con- 
tent of  subject  matter  as  will  contribute  most  surely  to  a  realization 
of  the  objectives  of  secondary  education  (health,  command  of  funda- 
mental processes,  worthy  home  membership,  vocation,  citizenship, 
worthy  use  of  leisure  and  ethical  character) . 

(4)  It  is  the  function  of  instruction  so  to  organize  and  present 
the  subject  matter  of  individual  courses  of  the  curriculum  that  for 
a  particular  group  in  a  particular  community  the  previously  enum- 
erated objectives  are  realized. 


252  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

EQUALITY  OF  OPPORTUNITY. 

Oklahoma  is  not  providing  equality  of  educational  opportunity 
in  the  field  of  secondary  education. 

A  comparatively  good  high  school  education  is  available  to 
children  in  independent  districts  but  is  not  available  to  children 
outside  independent  districts.  These  inequalities  exist  in  build- 
ings, equipment,  instruction,  length  of  school  term,  and  accessibility 
of  the  school.  Generally  speaking,  high  school  facilities  in  inde- 
pendent districts  are  relatively  good.  Outside  of  independent 
districts  and  a  few  favored  counties,  high  school  facilities  are  either 
poor  or  totally  lacking.  Here  are  some  of  the  facts  indicative 
of  inequalities. 

(1)  Eighty  per  cent  of  all  high  school  teachers  are  employed 
in  independent  districts  where  41  per  cent  of  the  school  enumeration 
occurs. 

(2)  $13,378,823.18  are  spent  in  independent  districts  where 
41  per  cent  of  the  children  live,  whereas  $8,288,844.98  are  spent  in 
rural  districts  where  59  per  cent  of  the  children  live. 

(3)  $140.29  per  capita  is  invested  in  buildings  and  grounds 
in  independent  districts  as  compared  with  $56.38  in  villages,  $34.88 
in  consolidated  schools,  $59.48  in  union  graded  schools  and  $27.86 
in  ungraded  rural  schools. 

(4)  In  independent  districts  every  child  is  in  easy  access  of 
the   school,   whereas   large   areas   occur   in   rural   districts   where 
children  are  more  than  25  miles  from  any  high  school,  cut  off  by 
very  poor  roads  and  a  total  absence  of  any  means  of  transpor- 
tation to  the  school  center. 

It  cannot  be  argued  that  the  schools  are  there  but  the  boys 
and  girls  will  not  make  use  of  the  facilities  provided.  They  do 
attend  school  where  schools  are  reasonably  effective  and  reasonably 
accessible.  They  do  not  attend  where  schools  are  poor  and  inac- 
cessible. 

The  following  figures  show  the  percentage  of  children  of  high 
school  age  attending  school  in  certain  counties ; 

Per  cent  attending  school. 

Age 
Group  Alfalfa          Garfield        Jackson          LeFlore      Pushmataha     Sequoyah      Latimer 

14-15          95  91.3          81.7          76.2          67.6          64.2          79. 

16-17          74.2          62.3          62.9          44.6          42.7          40.9          52.6 
18-20          25.  24.9         22.8          12.7          11.  12.3         10.2 


RURAL  SCHOOL'S  253 

Alfalfa,  Garfield  and  Jackson  counties  are  types  of  counties 
where  reasonably  accessible  schools  are  found.  In  Alfalfa  county 
these  schools  have  been  established  long  enough  to  have  exercised 
their  full  influence.  The  high  percentages  attending  school  tell 
their  own  story. 

LeFlore,  Pushmataha,  Sequoyah,  and  Latimer  counties  repre- 
sent the  other  type  where  schools  are  inaccessible  and  relatively 
ineffective.  The  low  percentages  enrolled  in  school  speak  eloquent- 
ly of  the  failure  of  these  sections  to  provide  opportunity  for  the 
rudiments  of  an  education. 

In  the  last  four  counties  listed  above  the  percentage  of  stud- 
ents in  high  school  is  so  low  as  to  be  negligible.  Pushmataha  county, 
with  a  school  enumeration  of  6,112,  graduated  approximately  100 
eighth  grade  students  in  1921  from  schools  under  the  supervision 
of  the  county  superitendent,  20  of  the  100  are  enrolled  in  high 
school  this  year.  This  means  that  less  than  one-half  of  one  per 
cent  of  the  children  from  rural  districts  outside  independent  dis- 
tricts find  their  way  into  high  school  in  this  county.  When  we 
consider  that  about  16  per  cent  of  the  high  school  enumeration 
is  in  high  school,  the  State  over,  the  failure  of  secondary  education 
in  comparable  rural  districts  in  the  southeast  and  south  west  is 
startling. 

The  following  facts  are  indicative  of  the  situation  over  the 
State  as  a  whole. 

(1)  The  high  schools  of  the  State  enroll  47,893  students.      Of 
this  number,  40,085  are  enrolled  in  independent  district  high  schools 
where  only  41  per  cent  of  the  enumeration  live.      Since  only  6,398 
transfers  were  issued  in  1921  it  is  evident  that,  whereas  59  per 
cent   of  school   children  live   outside   independent   districts,    only 
14,206  were  in  high  school  as  compared  with  33,689  in  high  school 
from  independent  districts  where  only  41  per  cent  of  the  school 
enumeration  is  found.      Stated  in  percentage,  41  per  cent  of  the  pop- 
ulation  living  in  independent   districts   furnish   71   per   cent    of 
the  high  school  enrollment,  whereas  the  59  per  cent  which  is  rural 
furnish  only  29  per  cent  of  the  enrollment. 

(2)  The  12th  grades  in  independent  districts  enroll  5,547  chil- 
dren whereas  222  are  enrolled  in  the  12th  grade  in  village,  consoli- 
dated, union  graded,  and  ungraded  rural  high  schools. 

(3)  Twenty-eight  per  cent  of  the  age  group  14-20,  inclusive, 
living  in  independent  districts  is  enrolled  in  high  school,  while  only 


254  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

8.2  per  cent  of  the  same  age  group  living  outside  independent  dis- 
tricts is  enrolled  in  high,  school. 

(4)  Forty  students  for  each  1,000  of  population  living  in  in- 
dependent districts  are  enrolled  in  high  school,  as  compared  with  11 
for  each  1,000  living  outside  independent  school  districts,  and  23 
students  for  each  1,000  of  total  population  in  the  State  as  a  whole. 
Oklahoma  is  therefore,  favoring  her  urban  population  in  the  matter 
of  secondary  educational  advantages  in  the  ratio  of  four  to  one.  The 
percentage  of  the  total  population  enrolled  in  high  school  in  inde- 
pendent districts  is  high;  higher  than  any  State  average,  yet  the 
percentage  of  the  total  population  enrolled  in  high  school  from  rural 
districts,  outside  independent  districts,  is  exceeded  by  36  State  aver- 
ages. 

The  59  per  cent  of  the  State's  population  living  outside  in- 
dependent districts  is  getting  only  38  per  cent  of  the  total  education- 
al expenditure.  They  are  getting  a  negligible  share  of  the  total  ex- 
penditure for  high  schools.  They  are  undoubtedly  paying,  in  a 
majority  of  cases,  in  proportion  to  their  ability  to  pay  as  measured 
from  wealth  and  from  income. 

Not  only  with  reference  to  money  spent,  accessibility,  and  per 
centages  of  students  being  reached  do  inequalities  evist.  Inequali- 
ties exist  in  the  kind  of  education  offered  in  relation  to  need  and  in 
the  effectiveness  of  instruction  in  courses  offered.  Inequalities  of 
instruction  will  always  exist  because  of  the  personal  element,  but  it 
should  not  be  that  one  can  say  with  postiveness  that  as  a  whole  the 
rural  group  is  poorly  instructed  as  compared  with  the  urban  group 
and  that  curricula  for  rural  high  schools  are  poorly  adapted  to  the 
needs  of  the  students. 

These  statements  relative  to  instruction  in  rural  high  schools 
are  made  on  a  basis  of  observation  of  representative  schools  in  25 
counties  and  of  the  results  of  standard  attainment  tests. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  RURAL  SECONDARY  SCHOOLS. 

Under  the  present  organization  instruction  in  secondary  grades 
is  being  offered  in  ungraded  rural  schools,  union  graded  schools, 
consolidated  schools,  village  schools  and  independent  district  schools. 
Any  school  district  which  maintains  a  four-year  accredited  high 
school  in  an  incorporated  town  may  become  independent.  As  a  re- 
sult many  villages  of  a  few  hundred  which  have  grown  up  along 
railroads  or  in  localities  favored  by  natural  resources,  or  by  a 
geographical  location  favorable  to  trade,  have  formed  independent 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  255 

districts  reserving  to  themselves  the  local  advantages  derived  from 
corporate  wealth  or  wealth  derived  from  natural  resources,  at  the 
expense  of  contiguous  rural  sections. 

Many  of  these  independent  district  schools  have  less  than  10 
teachers  and  are  employing  a  local  superintendent  and  principals 
at  salaries  more  than  double  the  salaries  of  class  room  teachers. 
The  superintendents  are  little  more  than  class  room  teachers  in  many 
cases,  and  money  paid  them  as  administrative  and  supervisory  offi- 
cers is  sheer  waste. 

Under  the  present  system  many  weak  rural  schools  are  attempt- 
ing high  school  work  under  conditions  that  make  effective  work 
impossible  and  the  high  school  work  is  maintained  at  the  expense  of 
the  elementary  school.  In  1919-20,  342  rural  schools  were  doing 
work  which  was  not  approved  by  the  State  department.  Of  the  475 
approved  schools  many  were  not  strong  by  any  means. 

CONDITIONS  ESSENTIAL  TO  EFFECTIVE  WORK  NOT  PRO- 
VIDED. 

Schools  were  found  in  which  as  many  as  70  pupils  in  the  first 
4  grades  were  in  charge  of  a  single  teacher.  Grades  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  and 
10  were  divided  between  two  teachers.  Grades  9  and  10  with  fewer 
than  15  students  were  receiving  more  teaching  time  than  grades 
5,  6,  7,  and  8.  No  equipment  for  high  school  work  was  provided. 
The  teachers  were  not  qualified  to  give  high  school  instruction.  A 
possibly  adequate  teaching  staff  for  the  elementary  school  was, 
in  attempting  to  give  high  school  work,  subtracting  materially  from 
the  potential  effectiveness  of  the  elementary  school  for  the  sake 
of  a  high  school  training  of  little  worth  for  a  few  pupils. 

Other  schools  were  found  in  which  a  teacher  having  charge  of 
grades  6,  7,  and  8  with  more  than  50  pupils  was  also  attempting  one, 
in  some  cases  two  years,  of  high  school  work.  High  school  per- 
iods were  15  to  20  minutes,  the  work  of  very  small  value. 

The  usual  situation  in  one  and  two  teacher  rural  schools  is 
that  a  relatively  high  percentage  of  time  is  given  to  a  very  few 
students  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades.  In  many  schools  one  or 
two  students  in  these  grades  receive  more  than  one-third  of  the  total 
time.  The  interest  of  20  to  40  pupils  sacrificed  for  a  half  dozen  or 
less  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades.  The  legitimate  instruction 
of  comparatively  large  numbers  is  neglected  in  order  that  poor  in- 
struction may  be  given  to  a  very  few. 


256  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

This  condition  might  be  justified  upon  the  ground  that  the 
higher  grades  uniformly  require  more  teaching  effort  per  student 
and  that  costs  mount  continually  through  the  educational  system, 
if  the  instruction  was  productive  of  good  in  these  grades,  but  the 
grade  progress  made  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades  under  these 
conditions  is  slight.  Pupils  find  instruction  unsatisfying  and  12  per 
cent  of  them  in  schools  in  places  of  less  than  200  leave  the  school 
during  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades.  That  progress  is  slight 
is  shown  by  the  highly  cumulative  retardation  as  shown  by  standard 
tests. 

Undoubtedly  much  can  be  done  through  the  development  of 
a  system  of  rural  junior  high  schools  to  correct  these  conditions. 
Instruction  in  one  teacher  schools  could  be  limited  to  the  first  six 
grades,  and  the  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  grade  students  transport- 
ed to  the  junior  high  school  centers.  With  an  adequate  teaching 
staff,  material  equipment,  and  concentration  of  numbers  in  these 
grades  instruction  could  be  made  effective  and  per  capita  costs  low- 
ered. The  elementary  grades  would  not  be  penalized,  and  the 
whole  educative  process  would  be  improved. 

The  schools  approved  for  junior  high  school  work  should  be 
rigidly  held  to  a  junior  high  school  program.  They  should  not  low- 
er the  general  efficiency  in  an  attempt  to  add  a  grade  or  grades 
for  which  they  are  not  prepared.  Students  of  senior  high  school 
attainment  should  be  passed  on  to  the  centers  where  six  year  sec- 
ondary schools  are  maintained. 

TABLE  42. 

Number  and  Size  of  High  Schools  by  Years. 
Year  Total       Graduates    No.  Schools  Schools     Schools 

Enumer-  enrolling        grad.        reporting 

ation  more  than    more  than 

100  10 

1910-11  6,125  614  15  17  67 

1912-13  14,214  1,473  29  44  274 

1914-15  18,238  1,993  47  47  281 

1916-17  26,852  2,803  56  90  394 

Table  42  indicates  clearly  that  more  than  four-fifths  of  all 
high  schools  enroll  less  than  100  students,  and  more  than  two- 
thirds  graduate  less  than  10  students  yearly.  A  junior  high  school 
program  grouping  grades  seven  and  eight  with  grade  nine  will 
materially  increase  the  enrollment  in  high  school  grades.  Less  num- 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  257 

erous  senior  high  schools  will  also  increase  the  enrollment  per 
school  in  the  upper  grades  and  thus  lower  per  capita  costs.  The 
table  also  shows-  a  tendency  to  multiply  high  schools  as  high  school 
enrollment  increases  so  that  schools  too  small  for  economical  or  ef- 
fective work  are  being  maintained. 

At  present  rural  high  schools  outside  of  independent  districts 
must  depend  upon  three  high  school  inspectors  attached  to  the 
State  department  of  education  for  supervision.  The  duties  of  these 
men  are  inspectorial  rather  than  supervisory,  and  guidance  in  these 
schools  where  it  is  most  needed  is  limited  in  the  extreme.  Cases  of 
a  professional  type  of  supervision  by  county  superitendents  are  rare 
indeed.  Adoption  of  the  county  unit  and  the  employment  of  a 
professional  type  of  county  superintendent  with  an  adequate  super- 
visory staff  will  materially  improve  the  situation.  Funds  which 
now  go  into  salaries  of  superintendents  of  s*mall  independent  dis- 
tricts for  administrative  service  would  go  far  towards  paying  the 
expense  of  county  system  of  supervision. 

ORGANIZATION  FOR  AGRICULTURE  AND  HOME  ECONOMICS 
FOR  RURAL  COMMUNITIES. 

The  State  of  Oklahoma  accepted  the  Federal  Vocational  Act 
and  under  the  provisions  of  this  measure  departments  of  vocational 
agriculture  have  been  developed  in  58  schools  for  white  people 
and  in  7  schools  for  colored  people.  The  testimony  of  those  in 
position  to  have  intimate  knowledge  of  the  results  of  this  work  is 
in  the  main  favorable.  It  is  too  soon  to  attempt  a  final  evaluation 
of  its  worth  but  it  is  undoubtedly  gaining  the  respect  of  the  farmers 
and  the  school  people  of  the  State. 

There  are  some  respects  in  which  it  appears  possible  to  strength- 
en the  work,  and  the  following  means  to  this  end  are  suggested : 

(1)  With  the  organization  of  a  State  board  of  education  this 
body  should  be  designated  as  the  State  board  for  vocational  edu- 
cation, and  the  responsibility  for  the  administration  of  this  work 
transferred  to  it.       This  change  would  call  for  a  transfer  of  the 
director  of  vocational  education  and  his  assistants  to  the  staff  of 
the  proposed  commissioner  of  education.      An  arrangement  of  this 
kind  will  give  a  unity  to  the  program  of  education  of  the  State  that 
is  highly  desirable. 

(2)  In  the  development  of  the  work  in  agricultural  education 
relatively  little   attention  has  been  given  to   part-time   work  for 
boys  who  have  left  school  and  are  living  on  the  farms  of  the  State, 
s.  s.  9 


258  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

With  the  formation  of  the  proposed  county  organization  for  edu- 
cation it  will  be  relatively  easy  to  make  provision  for  attaching 
to  the  office  of  the  county  superintendent  of  schools,  an  itinerant 
instructor  qualified  to  give  a  valuable  type  of  vocational  instruction 
in  agriculture  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  group  of  boys  from  14-21 
years  of  age  who  have  left  school. 

In  most  instances  it  will  be  possible  for  these  boys  to  get 
away  from  their  farm  duties  for  a  few  weeks  during  the  dull  sea- 
son in  order  to  attend  a  local  short  course.  One  instructor  can  han- 
dle several  of  these  courses  during  a  year  and  follow  the  supervised 
practical  work  of  the  young  men  on  their  home  farms.  It  is 
desirable  also  that  the  teachers  of  agriculture  in  the  existing  depart- 
ments in  the  high  schools  undertake  this  work  to  a  larger  extent 
than  they  are  now  doing. 

This  arrangement  would  make  it  possible  to  develop  a  very 
much  more  satisfactory  basis  for  the  work  in  agriculture  in  the 
seventh  and  eighth  grade  than  now  generally  obtains  in  the  State. 
It  is  impossible  for  the  relatively  untrained  teachers  of  the  country 
school  to  accomplish  much  of  substantial  value  under  the  present 
arrangement. 

It  is  believed  that  the  State  should  appropriate  funds  for  the 
purpose  of  further  development  of  the  work  in  vocational  agricul- 
ture in  the  high  school  departments  and  for  a  large  development  of 
part-time  work  by  means  of  the  suggested  itinerant  instructors.  A 
program  of  this  character  will  make  it  possible  to  reach  larger  num- 
bers of  young  people  with  a  more  effective  type  of  vocational  edu- 
cation in  agriculture  than  is  possible  through  the  present  system 
of  State  schools  of  agriculture. 

(3)  Conditions  surrounding  the  expenditure  of  the  Federal 
funds  for  home  economics  are  such  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
make  use  of  them  to  develop  work  in  this  subject  in  the  high  schools. 
There  is  great  need  for  encouragement  of  this  work  in  the  consoli- 
dated schools  and  on  the  rural  schools  of  the  State.     To  assist  in 
accomplishing  this  end  provisions  should  be  made  for  liberal  State 
aid  and  itinerant  instructors  who  serve   several   centers  as  well 
as  assist  in  the  country  schools. 

(4)  There   are  rural  high  schools   and  consolidated  schools 
which  are  not  large  enough  to  justify  the  employment  of  a  full  time 
instructor  in  vocational  agriculture  but  in  which  some  instruction 
of  this  kind  is  needed.     In  such  cases  some  combination  should  be 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  259 

made;   the   following    suggestions    are    offered   in   order    of   their 
desirability : 

(a)  A  teacher  of  vocational  agriculture  can  often  be  found  to 
whom  the  science  leading  to  part  of  it  can  be  assigned; 

(b)  If  there  are  in  the  community  boys  who  need  instruction 
in  vocational  agriculture  on  the  part-time  basis,  an  instructor  might 
be  employed  who  could  devote  time  to  this  work  as  well  as  that 
given  in  the  school ;  or  the  instructor  might  be  assigned  to  teach  vo- 
cational agriculture  in  two  or  more  schools; 

(c)  A  superintendent  or  principal  adequately  prepared  may 
be  secured  who  can  teach  vocational  agriculture.      In  making  such 
selection  it  is  important  to  safeguard  the  administrative  interests 
of  the  district.      Only  such  instructors  should  be  employed  as  have 
specific  preparation  for  school  administration  as  well  as  for  teaching 
vocational  agriculture.      It  is  suggested  that  a  special  license  be  re- 
quired of  all  who  serve  in  the  dual  capacity  of  superintendent  or 
principal  and  teacher  of  agriculture. 

(5)  The  county  agricultural  agents  are  doing  considerable 
work  under  the  name  of  boys'  and  girls'  club  projects  with  rural 
school  pupils.  In  many  instances  the  State  requirement  for  in- 
struction in  agriculture  and  home  economics  is  met  by  pupils  en- 
rolling in  these  clubs.  There  is  no  doubt  that  these  agents  can  ren- 
der a  valuable  service  in  connection  with  agricultural  instruction 
in  the  country  school.  This  work  should  be  held  to  an  education 
basis  and  the  county  superintendents  should  assume  administrative 
responsibility  for  its  organization  and  development.  The  county 
agents  should  be  used  by  the  educational  organization  for  the  tech- 
nical instruction  of  teachers,  and  for  supervision  of  the  practical 
work  so  far  as  their  time  will  permit  of  their  rendering  such  serv- 
ice. 

CURRICULA. 

Curricula  being  administered  in  the  rural  high  schools  of  Okla- 
homa are  poorly  adapted  to  the  needs  of  the  students.  The  favor- 
ite subjects  are  Latin,  ancient  history,  mediaeval  and  modern  his- 
tory, English,  and  mathematics.  Of  the  accepted  objectives  of  sec- 
ondary education  (health,  command  of  fundamental  processes,  wor- 
thy home  membership,  vocation,  citizenship,  worthy  use  of  leisure, 
and  ethical  living)  all  except  command  of  fundamental  processes 
are  being  neglected. 


260  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

The  history  which  should  contribute  to  citizenship  is  formal  and 
no  connection  with  present  life  is  made.  No  definite  health  prog- 
ram was  found  in  any  school.  Vocational  guidance  and  vocational 
training  are  attempted  in  only  a  few  schools.  Music  and  art  appre- 
ciation are  neglected  though  it  is  through  these  subjects  that  edu- 
cation for  leisure  must  proceed.  Ethical  character  is  a  product 
of  these  objectives  which  are  being  neglected. 

BASIC  PRINCIPLES  FOR  DEVELOPMENT  OF  CURRICULA. 

Oklahoma  should  develop  curricula  in  the  rural  high  school  that 
make  it  possible  to  realize  these  objectives  through  the  proper  teach- 
ing of  the  subject  matter  provided.  The  following  principles  should 
guide. 

(1)  A  general  curriculum  for  junior  high  schools  with  .a  body 
of  subject  matter  to  be  regarded  as  a  core  of  minimum  essentials 
common  to  all  curricula  should  be  developed  first.       This  should 
be  the  curriculum  of  small  junior  high  schools  enrolling  less  than 
75  pupils  and  employing  two  teachers  only. 

(2)  This  curriculum  should  provide: 

(a)  Three  units  of  English 

(b)  Three  units  of  social  science  comprising  geography, 
civics  of  the  community  type,  and  history. 

(c)  Two  units  of  mathematics. 

(d)  One  unit  of  appreciation  of  art  and  music. 

(e)  One  unit  of  vocational  guidance- for  boys. 

(f)  One  unit  of  home  economics  for  girls. 

(g)  One  unit  of  elementary  science. 

(3)  Specialized  curricula  in  agriculture,  home  economics,  in- 
dustrial arts,  business,  and  college  preparatory  should  be  developed 
in  the  six  year  rural  secondary  schools.      The  number  of  specialized 
curricula,  and  the  number  of  electives  offered  should  be  so  planned 
as  to  avoid  excessive  teaching  loads. 

(4)  Integration  of  the  junior  and  senior  high  school  curricula 
should  be  insured  through  carrying  English  and  social  science  as 
constants  common  to  all  curricula  through  the  six  years,  and  through 
so  scheduling  elective  courses  in  home  economies,  agriculture,  lan- 
guage, science,  mathematics,  business  and  industrial  arts  that  a 
minimum  of  two  units  in  one  of  these  fields  is  possible  in  the 
senior  high  school  for  graduates  of  the  junior  high  school. 

(5)  In  small  schools,  both  junior  and  senior,  the  expedient 
of  offering  courses  on  alternate  years  where  it  is  usual  that  sections 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  261 

are  not  too  large  for  combination  should  be  freely  used. 

Oklahoma,  at  present,  is  organized  on  the  basis  of  an  eight  year 
elementary  school  followed  by  a  four  year  high  school.  Because 
of  this  fact  suggested  curricula  designed  to  meet  the  needs  of  the 
small  four  year  rural  high  school  are  presented  below.  A  sug- 
gested daily  schedule  of  recitation  is  also  presented. 

Schedules  A,  B,  and  C,  are  suggested  for  use  in  the  small  four 
year  high  schools  of  Oklahoma.  They  are  accompanied  by  daily 
programs  worked  out  on  the  basis  of  uniform  periods  for  certain 
laboratory  and  field  subjects.  These  schedules  and  daily  programs 
are  adaptations  of  recommendations  that  were  made  by  Dr.  Alexan- 
der Inglis  in  the  Indiana  survey. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  a  great  deal  of  use  has  been  made  of  al- 
ternations. In  some  of  the  smaller  schools  it  may  be  possible  to 
carry  it  even  farther,  but  this  should  not  be  practiced  if  it  regularly 
results  in  high  school  classes  of  more  than  twenty-five  pupils. 

Schedule  A  has  been  prepared  with  the  idea  that  a  year  of 
home  economics  should  be  required  of  each  girl  in  high  school. 
This  makes  it  necesary  to  offer  first  year  home  economics  each  year, 
as  the  classes  in  the  larger  three-teacher  high  schools  are  certain 
to  be  to  large  if  alternation  is  followed.  It  is  suggested  that  agri- 
culture be  elective.  Schedule  C,  has  been  prepared  for  students 
not  electing  agriculture,  or,  in  case  one  year  of  home  economics 
is  not  required. 

Scehdule  B  is  designed  to  show  the  work  taken  by  students  who 
elect  two  years  of  agriculture  or  two  years  of  homemaking.  This 
it  is  believed  is  as  much  work  in  these  fields  as  should  be  undertaken 
by  most  of  the  high  schools.  A  few  of  the  larger  ones  may  offer 
four  years  of  work  in  each  of  these  subjects  but  they  will  need  more 
than  three  high  school  teachers. 

From  the  daily  program  it  will  be  noted  that  when  the  uniform 
periods  of  one  hour  each  are  used  only  one  period  daily  is  devoted 
to  agriculture  and  home  economics.  Experience  has  shown  that 
very  satisfactory  work  can  be  done  with  these  subjects  with  a  period 
of  this  length.  The  marked  exception  is  when  field  trips  are  neces- 
sary in  agriculture.  To  meet  this  situation  the  program  is  so  ar- 
ranged that  a  second  period  may  be  used  in  this  subject  when  neces- 
sary. It  is  believed  that  this  suggested  arrangement  will  make  it 
possible  to  develop  a  very  satisfactory  grade  of  instruction  in  agri- 
culture and  home  economics  in  the  rural  high  schools  of  the  State. 


262 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


The  present  requirement  of  one-half  day  by  the  State  board  for 
vocational  education  will  necessarily  restrict  the  introduction  of 
the  work  in  these  fields  in  the  smaller  schools.  It  is  doubtful  if 
the  teaching  needs  of  agriculture  and  home^economics  justify  such 
a  requirement. 

It  is  recognized  that  these  suggested  schedules  and  programs 
are  not  ideal.  They  are  presented  as  suggestive  of  what  may  be 
done  in  the  way  of  curricula  planning  and  schedule  making  for  par- 
ticular types  of  schools  serving  particular  types  of  communities. 
It  is  believed  that  if  they  are  accepted  in  principle,  and  teacher-train- 
ing institutions  shape  the  preparation  of  their  students  with  the 
needs  of  the  small  high  school  in  mind,  an  appreciable  improvement 
over  the  present  situation  will  result. 


SCHEDULE  A. 
Academic  Curriculum  with  one  year  of  Homemaking  required  of  the  Girls. 


1922 

1*2  3                   1924 

1925 

YEAR 

1234 

1234             1234 

1234 

Eng.    I.           

..x       

....X           ..                     X 

x 

Eng.  II. 

x 

.  X                                  X 

x 

Eng    III 

X 

X                           X 

X     . 

Ene    IV 

x 

X                                     X 

J£ 

Civics 

x 

X                                  X 

X 

Gen.  Hist  

x 

X  X  

x  

Am.  Hist.  &  Govern   

x  

X                        .  .X 

X.... 

Econ.   &   Soc.         

x.... 

X  X 

x  

Gen.    Science    ... 

X 

X    X       

.    JC              

Biology 

x 

X                          X 

X    . 

Physics 

x 

X                                     X 

x 

For.  Lang.   I  
For.  Lang   II 

....X  

x 

x  x  

X                         JK 

X  

x 

Algebra  

x  

X  X.... 

x.... 

Geometry   

.  -X 

X  X  

x  

Gen.  Math  

H.  Mak    I.  . 

x 

X             ....     ....X  

x 

Alternations: 

English  III  and  IV 

American  History  and  Government  and  Economics  and  Soc. 

Biology  and  Physics 

Algebra  and  Geometry  (Irregular) 


RURAL  SCHOOLS 


263 


SCHEDULE   B. 
Curriculum  with  two  years  of  either  Agriculture  or  Home  Economics. 


1922 

1923 

1234 

1234 

English  I  

x 

x.  

English  II.            

x  

x 

English    III 

x 

X 

English   IV 

.  .                               X 

x 

Civics 

x 

x 

Gen    Hist 

x 

x 

Amer    Hist    &  Govern 

x 

x 

Econ.  and  Soc  

x. 

x  

Gen.    Sc.           

x  

.     X                  

Biology 

x 

x 

Physics 

x 

X. 

For    Lang    I 

For   Lang  II 

Algebra 

Geometry                

Gen.  Math. 

X 

.x     

Agriculture  I 

x 

x 

Agriculture   II 

.X 

x 

Home  Economics  I  

x  

x  

Home  Economics  II  

x  

x  

Elective   I  

X.     .. 

x  

Elective  II  

....      .X 

.    ..        .x  

Alternations: 

English  HI  and  IV. 

Amer.  Hist,  and  Govt.  and  Econ.  and  Soc. 
Biology  and  Physics. 
Agriculture  I  and  II. 

Home  Econ.  I  and  II  cannot  well  be  alternated  if  one  year  of  home  econ. 
is  required  of  all  girls  because  of  the  size  of  the  classes. 

SCHEDULE   C. 
Curriculum   for  students   taking  neither  Agriculture    nor   Home   Economics. 


YEAR 

1234 

1234 

1234 

1234 

English  I  
English    II. 

....x  
x 

....x  
x 

.  x  

x 

....x  
x 

English  III 

x 

x 

x 

.X 

English  IV  

x.... 

x  

....x.  

x 

Civics 

x 

x 

.X 

x 

Gen.  Hist  

X. 

x 

.X  . 

x  

Amer.  Hist.  &  Govt  
Econ.   and    Soc  
Gen.  Science  
Biology 

x  

X.... 

x  
x 

X.... 

x  
....x.  
x 

x  

X.... 

x  
x 

x.... 
x  

.  x.  

x 

Physics 

x 

x 

JC 

JC 

For.   Lang.   I  

....x  

x  

....x  

x  . 

For.  Lang.  II  

x  

.     .X    ..    .. 

x  

x  

Algebra 

x 

x 

JC 

x 

•Geometry    

x 

x 

x  

JS. 

Gen.    Math  

....x  

....x  

....x  

....x.  

Gen.  Math,  is  substituted  for  Home  Econ.  of  Schedule  A  and 
Gen.  Science  alternates  between  first  and  second  year. 
Alternations  the  same  as  in  Schedule  A. 


264  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

INSTRUCTION. 

English,  social  science,  and  vocational  subjects  are  the  most 
important  fields  of  instruction  in  rural  high  schools.  Because  of 
their  importance  some  suggestions  follow  which  should  serve  to  im- 
prove instruction  and  give  to  rural  children  in  Oklahoma  training 
that  is  more  definitely  related  to  their  needs  than  is  the  case  at 
present. 

English.  Instruction  observed  in  English  in  rural  high  schools 
was  rather  uniformily  poor  in  that  little  opportunity  was  provided 
for  practice  in  self-expression,  and  little  of  inspiration  towards 
reading  for  appreciation  was  being  done.  There  was  more  of 
restraint  than  of  encouragement  in  self-expression.  Time  was 
spent  in  giving  formal  definitions  and  in  reciting  historical  facts. 
There  is  need  for  much  time  spent  in  self-expresson  with  a  view  to 
forming  good  language  habits  through  usage,  and  inspiration  to 
read  much  literature  that  is  of  artistic  worth. 

Methods  of  the  socialized  recitation  should  be  introduced  into 
English  class  rooms.  Much  supplementary  reading  material  should 
be  provided  and  teachers  should  avoid  the  kind  of  instruction  that 
makes  English  the  special  detestation  of  students. 

There  is  an  apparent  tendency  to  overwork  the  English  teacher. 
Every  student  in  the  school  commonly  takes  English.  Cases  were 
observed  where  teachers  were  handling  200  students  daily  in  six 
courses  in  English.  Some  sections  ran  above  50.  The  right  sort 
of  English  instruction  demands  much  painstaking  work  in  examining 
written  work  of  students  and  individual  conferences  with  students 
over  shortcomings  evidenced  in  the  work.  With  too  heavy  teach- 
ing loads  good  work  is  impossible. 

Instruction  in  English  should  grow  out  of  needs  as  evidenced  by 
students'  efforts  at  usage.  It  should  aim  primarily  to  lay  bare 
bad  habits  in  usage  and  correct  them  through  opportunity  for 
practice,  culminating  in  habitual  use  of  the  correct  form.  In  ad- 
dition, instruction  should  seek  to  develop  the  ability  to  use  English 
effectively  and  in  accord  with  accepted  good  practice.  It  is  funda- 
mentally a  matter  of  drill,  vocabularly  building,  development  of 
principles  to  explain  practice,  a  knowledge  of  accepted  form  in  the 
mechanics  of  composition  and  development  of  a  real  appreciation 
of  good  literature  which  will  function  in  self  directed  habitual  read- 
ing. 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  265 

Social  Science.  Oklahoma  has  recognized  a  rural  problem  for 
some  years.  The  State  has  realized  that  it  is  primarily  dependent 
upon  its  agriculture.  Evidences  of  these  facts  are  seen  in  the 
State  agricultural  and  mechanical  college,  the  extension  work  be- 
ing done  in  rural  communities  with  adult  farmers  and  with 
farm  boys  and  girls  in  club  work,  the  acceptance  by  the  State  of 
the  Smith-Hughes  enactment  and  subsequent  application  of  the 
provisions  of  that  enactment  principally  to  vocational  agriculture, 
and  the  establishment  and  maintenance  by  the  State  of  the  State 
secondary  schools  of  agriculture. 

MANY  PRESSING  PROBLEMS  OF  RURAL  LIFE  CALL  FOR 

STUDY. 

In  spite  of  this  program  rural  life  problems  are  still  acute.  Al- 
though production  has  increased  largely  the  rural  population  has 
not  gained  in  economic  independence  as  a  whole  except  through 
the  rise  of  land  values  under  the  stimulus  of  increased  population 
and  the  artificial  stimulation  of  the  war  due  to  high  prices. 

Tenancy  is  high.  The  State  average  is  51  per  cent.  County 
averages  are  above  70  per  cent  in  a  few  cases.  In  Southern  and 
Southeastern  counties  tenancy  of  the  worst  possible  type  prevails. 
"Movers"  are  encountered  at  all  seasons.  At  certain  seasons 
a  general  exodus  occurs  so  that  in  many  schools  the  student  body 
changes  by  more  than  70  per  cent  of  the  total.  Tenancy  increased 
by  a  total  of  120,336  acres  in  the  decade  1910-1920. 

Although  a  young  State  and  relatively  undeveloped  agricul- 
turally there  was  an  increase  of  only  1,796  farm  operators  in  the 
decade  1910-1920,  or  an  increase  of  rural  population  of  only  11 
per  cent  during  the  period.  In  total  percentage  of  population 
increase  Arizona,  Wyoming,  Idaho,  Montana,  Florida,  District  of 
Columbia,  Michigan,  New  Jersey,  and  Connecticut  exceeded  Okla- 
homa. There  was  an  actual  decrease  of  total  population  in  28 
agricultural  counties  of  the  State  during  the  period,  the  highest  per- 
centage of  decrease  occuring  in  Comanche  County  where  it  amounted 
to  more  than  35  per  cent  of  the  total  population. 

In  certain  counties  holdings  of  agricultural  lands  by  non-resi- 
dent owners  have  grown  to  serious  proportions.  Holdings  of  as  high 
as  100,000  acres  of  the  first  agricultural  lands  are  found.  Estimate 
of  such  holdings  in  certain  counties  run  as  high  as  25  per  cent  of 
the  total  of  agricultural  lands. 

Home  life  and  food  habits  in  certain  agricultural  sections  are 


266  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

serious  problems.  Large  areas  occur  where  a  home  garden  is  a  cur- 
iosity. Canned  goods  and  meat  and  bread  furnish  the  bulk  of  the 
diet.  Malnutrition  is  clearly  evidence  by  children  in  rather  high 
percentages.  Home  comforts  and  sanitation  are  lacking.  Okla- 
homa is  exceeded  by  26  States  in  the  percentage  of  farm  homes  hav- 
ing telephones,  lighting  plants,  or  running  water  in  the  homes. 

The  ratio  of  mortgage  indebtedness  to  the  total  value  of  farm 
property  increased  4.5  per  cent  in  the  decade. 

Twenty-six  States  in  the  Union  have  developed  much  higher 
percentages  of  farmers  who  make  some  use  of  cooperative  organi- 
zations for  selling  or  buying  than  Oklahoma.  Whereas  50  per 
cent  of  the  total  of  farmers  in  some  Middle  Western  States  make 
use  of  cooperative  organizations  only  3.1  per  cent  of  the  total  of 
farmers  of  Oklahoma  make  such  use. 

The  conditions  described  above  furnish  problems  which  must 
receive  attention  in  social  science  courses.  Social  and  economic 
problems  are  the  serious  problems  of  rural  life  in  the  State.  Okla- 
homa must  give  some  attention  in  rural  schools  to  land  tenure; 
to  home  life;  to  personal  and  community  hygiene  and  sanitation; 
to  non-resident  ownership  of  agricultural  land  in  huge  tracts;  to 
the  business  side  of  agriculture,  with  emphasis  upon  cooperative 
enterprises;  to  social  relationships,  both  individual  and  group  rela- 
tionships; to  problems  of  government  affecting  rural  communities, 
particularly,  and  to  the  development  of  a  satisfying  leisure  life 
of  rural  people. 

Rural  life  and  agriculture  in  the  State  are  not  developing  prop- 
erly. Oklahoma  must  consciously  face  the  time  when  the  mineral 
resources  of  the  State  which  now  give  it  life  will  begin  to  wane. 
Oil  will  not  flow  forever.  If  a  satisfying  rural  life  based  on  a  per- 
manent and  profitable  agriculture  has  not  been  developed  before 
these  resources  fail  the  State  must  inevitably  be  retarded  in  its  prog- 
ress. The  education  of  her  rural  people  in  citizenship  and  in  the 
economics  of  agriculture  are  vital  problems  now  being  neglected. 

Material  for  teaching  should  be  found  through  a  determi- 
nation of  the  vital  social  and  economic  problems  of  the  locality  by 
study  of  the  community  life.  A  dominant  aim  should  be  to  teach 
how  to  use  the  community  as  a  source  of  problems  and  data 
for  the  proper  solution  of  these  problems. 

Vocational  subjects.  Vocational  guidance,  vocational  agricul- 
ture, and  home  economics  are  the  important  vocational  subjects  for 
th"  rural  high  schools. 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  267 

Vocational  guidance  should  be  required  of  boys  in  the  seventh 
and  eighth  grades.  Instruction  should  show  the  possibilities  in 
specific  agricultural  vocations,  and  in  other  major  occupations  as 
business,  mechanical  trades,  and  the  major  professions.  The  ap- 
proach to  these  occupations  should  be  agricultural.  A  fair  chance 
to  sample  broadly  applicable  vocational  skills  and  to  test  abilities 
in  specific  vocations  should  be  afforded. 

Vocational  agriculture  implies  that  specific  farm  enter- 
prises rather  than  subjects  be  made  the  center  about  which  in- 
struction is  organized;  that  the  practice  jobs  in  these  specified  enter- 
prises be  determined ;  that  subject  matter  be  specifically  related  to 
these  practice  jobs  and  that  the  natural  sequence  of  practice  jobs 
become  the  sequence  of  subject  matter  organization. 

The  State  department  of  vocational  education  should  assign  tech- 
nical subject  matter  experts  the  task  of  preparing  analyses  of  the 
dominant  agricultural  enterprises  of  the  State  to  serve  as  guides 
to  instruction  in  vocational  agricultural.  Students  should  be  offer- 
ed a  unit  of  vocational  work  in  one  plant  enterprise  and  a  second 
unit  of  work  in  one  animal  enterprise  in  the  ninth  and  tenth  grades. 

Instruction  in  home  economics  should  stress  the  selection  of 
foods  for  balanced  rations  and  the  preparation  of  such  foods,  home 
devices  for  comfort  and  sanitation,  home  furnishing  and  decoration, 
sewing  and  selection  of  clothing  with  regard  to  suitability  of  fab- 
rics, personal  hygiene,  home  nursing,  and  sanitation.  At  present 
stressing  of  the  skills  in  sewing  and  cooking  to  the  neglect  of  other 
matters  is  characteristic. 

In  method,  much  more  use  of  projects  in  homemaking  should 
be  made.  The  project  in  homemaking  for  girls  should  become  as 
common  as  home  projects  in  agriculture  for  boys.  This  implies 
that  the  teacher  should  make  intimate  contacts  with  the  homes  of 
students  undergoing  instruction. 

STATE  SCHOOLS  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

Oklahoma  in  common  with  several  other  States  committed  it- 
self a  number  of  years  ago  to  the  policy  of  providing  State  schools 
of  agriculture  of  secondary  grade.  Originally  six  schools  were 
established  of  which  number  the  following  are  still  in  operation: 
Cameron  School,  Lawton;  Conner  School,  Warner;  Murray  School, 
Tishomingo ;  and  the  Panhandle  A.  &  M.  College  at  Goodwell.  The 
last  in  addition  to  the  work  of  secondary  grade  offers  two  years 
of  instruction  of  collegiate  grade.  In  each  institution  an  eighth 


268  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

grade  is  maintained  and  at  the  Cameron  school  there  is  also  a  seventh 
grade.  Since  the  establishment  of  thesfe  schools  in  Oklahoma  the 
experience  that  has  been  gained  in  vocational  instruction  in  agri- 
culture of  secondary  grade  has  shown  conclusively  that  except 
for  unusual  circumstances  there  are  more  effective  and  more  econ- 
omical methods  of  reaching, prospective  farmers. 

In  1917  the  Federal  Vocational  Education  Act  was  passed.  One 
of  its  provisions  includes  Federal  aid  to  States  in  developing  pro- 
grams of  agricultural  education  of  secondary  grade.  The  State  of 
Oklahoma  accepted  the  provisions  of  this  legislation  and  has  started 
the  development  of  a  program  of  agricultural  education  in  connec- 
tion with  the  public  school  system  of  the  State.  These  departments 
in  which  the  instruction  is  offered  have  the  advantage  of  being 
readily  accessible  to  local  students,  thus  making  the  instruction 
available  without  the  expense  of  living  away  from  home.  They 
have  the  further  advantage  of  making  it  easy  to  connect  the  work 
of  the  school  with  the  practical  demands  of  the  home  farms  through 
the  project  method  of  instruction. 

In  addition  to  the  work  that  is  offered  in  agriculture  in  the  four 
State  schools  instruction  in  the  usual  high  school  subjects  is  offered 
and  any  policy  that  is  suggested  with  reference  to  the  future  of  these 
institutions  should  take  cognizance  of  this  fact.  It  should  be  recog- 
nized that  since  these  schools  were  established  there  has  been  a 
marked  development  of  high  schools  throughout  the  State  and  that 
in  secondary  schools  facilities  are  much  more  readily  available  than 
they  were  ten  or  fifteen  years  ago.  Any  argument  for  the  contin- 
nance  of  the  State  schools  based  on  the  fact  that  they  offer  high 
school  instruction  does  not  have  the  force  now  that  it  did  a  de- 
cade ago. 

At  present  none  of  the  schools  is  adequately  equipped  to  carry 
forward  the  work  they  are  attempting.  If  they  are  to  be  continued 
it  will  be  necessary  for  the  State  to  improve  the  facilities  thus  call- 
ing for  a  considerable  capital  outlay.  In  addition  the  maintenance 
allowance  is  inadequate. 

When  consideration  is  given  to  the  marked  growth  that  has 
taken  place  in  connection  with  the  development  of  agriculture  in- 
struction as  a  part  of  the  public  school  program  of  the  State  and 
the  possibilities  of  its  further  development  on  an  effective  and  econ- 
omical basis;  to  the  rapid  development  of  local  high  schools;  and 
to  the  large  outlays  both  for  plant  and  instruction  that  are  necessary 


RURAL,  SCHOOLS  269 

it  appears  wise  to  recommend  the  ultimate  discontinuance  of  all 
of  these  schools  as  State  supported  schools  of  agriculture.  They 
should  be  put  on  a  basis  of  local  support  with  State  aid  and  merged 
into  the  system  of  rural  high  schools.  This  action  should  be  accom- 
panied by  the  use  of  State  funds  to  encourage  consolidation  of 
schools,  the  development  of  more  adequate  local  high  school  facil- 
ities, and  an  extension  of  the  program  of  agricultural  education  in 
the  directions  indicated  elsewhere  in  this  report. 

The  State  schools  of  agriculture  were  established  on  the  theory 
that  the  majority  of  rural  boys  attending  high  school  would  return 
to  farming  and  that  a  vocational  school  of  agriculture  would  best 
serve  their  needs.  It  was  held,  too,  that  this  type  of  education 
would  return  a  higher  percentage  of  students  to  the  farm  thus 
tending  to  check  the  flow  towards  the  cities  and  to  improve  rural 
life  by  sending  large  numbers  of  boys  trained  in  the  modern  science 
of  agriculture  back  to  the  farm. 

The  history  of  these  schools  from  this  viewpoint  has  been  dis- 
appointing. First,  no  school  has  ever  sent  a  high  percentage  of 
students  back  to  the  farm.  Second,  in  order  to  get  students  they 
have  uniformly  been  forced  to  serve  as  an  ordinary  type  of  high 
school.  They  are  not  vocational  schools  of  agriculture  and  never 
will  be.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  they  should  not  be. 

TABLE  43. 
Showing  Graduates  Actually  Entering  Specific  Occupations  in  Past. 

Number  of          Number  of          Per  cent  of 
Occupation  Boys  Girls  Total 

Farming  30  23  18.6 

Mechanical  —  

Business  8  2  3.5 

Professions  52  50  35.9 

College  Students  46  46  32.3 

Other  occupations  10  17  9.4 

Table  43  shows  that,  of  284  graduates  of  the  State  schools  of 
agriculture  whose  record  after  graduation  is  known,  18.6  per  cent 
are  engaged  in  farming,  3.5  per  cent  in  business,  35.9  in  professional 
work,  32.3  per  cent  entered  college  and  9.4  per  cent  are  in  other 
occupations. 

Table  44  shows  that  of  717  students  expressing  a  choice  of  oc- 
cupations, 62  or  8.6  per  cent  prefer  farming,  98  or  13.6  per  cent  pre- 
fer business,  144  or  20  per  cent  prefer  a  professional  career,  80  or 


270  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

11.1  per  cent  prefer  mechanical  occupations,  274  or  38.2  per  cent 
look  forward  to  a  college  career,  and  59  or  8.2  per  cent  prefer  some 
other  occupations. 

TABLE  44. 

Showing  choice  of  occupation  as  expressed  by  students  now  en- 
rolled in  the  State  schools  of  agriculture : 

Number  of  boys     Number  of  girls  Per  cent  of 

Occupation  choosing  choosing  total 

Farming  47                        15  8.6 

Business  73                       25  13.6 

Professional  35  109  20.0 

Mechanical  59                       21  11.1 

College  students  140  134  38.2 

Other  24                       35  8.2 


Total  378  339  100.00 

It  is,  of  course,  problematic  just  how  much  dependence  can  be 
placed  upon  an  expressed  choice  of  occupation  by  high  school  stu- 
dents. Since  a  high  percentage  of  the  students  in  these  schools 
are  over  18  years  of  age,  however,  we  might  expect  rather  definite 
leanings.  Taken  in  comparison  with  the  occupational  history  of 
284  graduates  there  is  significance  in  the  fact  that  high  percentages 
look  towards  professional  careers  and  actually  enter  upon  pro- 
fessional work.  High  percentages  look  to  a  continuation  of  study 
in  college  and  actually  enter  college.  A  low  percentage  prefers 
farming  and  only  a  small  percentage  actually  return  to  the  farm. 
It  seems  evident  that  more  return  to  the  farm  than  wish  to  do  so. 
Probably  lack  of  opportunity  to  get  away  accounts  for  this. 

We  must  recognize  the  fact  that  these  schools  are  not  turning 
out  farmers.  The  majority  of  students  who  enter  do  not  want  and 
should  not  be  given  vocational  agricultural  education.  The  mass 
of  those  who  want  and  need  such  training  are  not  in  high  school. 
They  must  be  reached  through  part-time  instruction  on  the  part  of 
itinerant  Smith-Hughes  teachers  and  extension  workers. 

It  seems  evident  that  these  schools  should  develop  not  as  purely 
vocational  schools  of  agriculture  and  homemaking  but  as  compre- 
hensive high  schools  offering  a  broad  program  of  studies  and  using 
an  agricultural  approach  to  life  problems  of  great  variety.  The 
students  are  not  going  back  to  the  farm.  They  should  not  be  forced 


RURAL  SCHOOL'S  271 

to  go  back.    They  have  a  right  to  free  occupational  choice  facilitated 
by  a  broad  high  school  training. 

These  schools  are  in  direct  competition  with  local  high  schools 
in  junior  high  school  grades  in  many  communities  at  the  present 
time.  They  draw  students  away  from  the  local  school  under  the 
guise  of  offering  a  college  education.  The  men  at  the  head  of  the 
institutions  style  themselves  president.  They  speak  of  the  schools 
as  colleges.  The  schools  are  generally  referred  to  in  the  commun- 
ities where  they  are  located  as  colleges.  Many  students  think  they 
are  getting  a  college  education,  when  as  a  matter  of  fact  they  are 
getting  at  present  a  very  poor  high  school  training.  In  fairness  to 
the  public,  to  students,  and  to  real  colleges  the  heads  of  these  schools 
should  be  termed  principals  and  the  institution  they  are  administer- 
ing referred  to  as  high  schools. 

CONTROL  OF  STATE  SCHOOLS  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

It}  has  been  shown  that  these  schools  are  not  vocational  schools 
of  agriculture  primarily.  The  theory  that  they  should  serve  as 
purely  vocational  schools  of  agriculture  is  probably  responsible  for 
their  being  placed  under  the  State  board  of  agriculture  at  the  time 
of  their  establishment.  They  are  serving  primarily  as  rural  high 
schools,  however,  and  should  serve  as  strong,  comprehensive  rural 
high  schools.  Accordingly,  it  is  recommended  that  they  be  placed 
immediately  under  the  State  department  of  education,  so  that  they 
may  be  developed  in  accord  with  the  State  program  in  rural  sec- 
ondary education,  and  finally  placed  upon  a  basis  of  local  support 
with  State  aid.  This  should  remove  the  friction  that  occasionally 
has  developed  with  reference  to  these  schools. 

ADMINISTRATION  OF  LAND-OWNING  RURAL  HIGH 
SCHOOLS  OF  THE  BOARDING  TYPE. 

On  the  assumption  that  these  schools  will  be  maintained  for 
some  years  either  as  State  schools  or  as  locally  supported  schools 
with  State  aid,  and  on  the  assumption  that  it  may  be  found  advis- 
able to  establish  other  schools  of  the  boarding  type  in  certain  agri- 
cultural sections,  the  following  recommendations  as  to  administra- 
tion are  made  touching  upon  matters  which  are  not  receiving 
proper  attention. 

Three  distinct  units  are  to  be  dealt  with  in  schools  of  this  type : 
(1)  The  school  proper;  (2)  the  school  farm;  (3)  the  boarding 
department.  Good  administration  demands  that  these  three  units 


272  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

be  so  correlated  that  each  contributes  to  economy  of  operation  and 
effectiveness  of  instruction  in  vocational  subjects. 

The  school  farm  should  afford  a  means  of  practice  work  out  of 
which  instruction  in  agriculture  may  grow.  This  is  possible  through 
a  group  project  method.  The  school  farm  should  provide  adequate 
supplies  of  vegetables,  fruit,  milk,  meat,  and  poultry  products  for 
the  boarding  department.  These  should  be  supplied  at  market 
prices  and  not  as  gifts.  The  farm  should  exemplify  a  sensible,  com- 
mercial system  of  farm  enterprises  adapted  to  the  region.  An  ac- 
curate, usable  system  of  cost  accounting  should  be  applied  to  each 
enterprise  that  will  serve  to  determine  costs  and  profits,  and  also 
serve  as  models  for  students  to  use  when  entering  upon  farming  as 
a  vocation. 

Students  should  receive  all  profits  derived  from  enterprises 
carried  as  projects  by  themselves.  Crops  grown  on  the  farm  should 
afford  a  source  of  supply  of  good  seed  adapted  to  the  locality.  The 
farm  should  develop  and  distribute  good  livestock  as  a  means  of 
improving  local  herds.  A  separate  portion  of  the  farm  should  be 
given  over  to  experimentation  whereby  vital  agricultural  problems 
of  the  locality  are  solved. 

The  boarding  department  should  provide  a  means  of  corre- 
lating instruction  and  practice  in  homemaking.  It  is  poor  economy 
to  have  the  boarding  department  independent  of  the  home  econ- 
omics department  as  is  now  the  case  in  all  the  schools  of  the  State. 
The  equipment  and  quarters  of  the  boarding  department  furnish 
good  equipment  and  quarters  for  instruction  in  practical  home 
economics.  The  home  economics  department  should,  in  cooperation 
with  the  management  of  the  boarding  department  plan  menus,  for* 
mulate  budgets,  buy  supplies,  keep  accounts,  plan  the  dining  room 
service,  work  out  housekeeping  methods,  and  be  jointly  responsible 
for  sanitation. 

In  practice  cooking  real  dishes  in  edible  portions  should  be 
cooked  on  real  kitchen  devices  for  actual  consumption  on  the  table. 
The  cooking  of  tidbits  and  samples  on  laboratory  devices  which 
never  will  see  the  inside  of  a  real  kitchen  is  of  doubtful  value. 
Home  management  which  is  the  large  value  in  the  work  is  best 
taught  through  participation  in  actual  management  of  a  real  enter- 
prise such  as  the  boarding  department. 

Good  administration  of  these  schools  will  provide  for  follow-up 
vocational  records  of  graduates  and  continual  revision  of  courses 
offered  and  content  of  courses  based  upon  such  vocational  record. 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  273 

Good  administration  of  these  schools  will  make  of  them  local 
centers  for  extension  work  under  the  Smith-Lever  service  and 
mother  schools  for  the  junior  high  schools  of  the  locality. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  PREPARATORY  SCHOOL  AND  THE 
OKLAHOMA  MILITARY  ACADEMY. 

Much  of  what  has  been  said  with  reference  to  the  District  Agri- 
cultural Schools  applies  with  equal  force  to  the  University  Prepar- 
atory School,  at  Tonkawa,  and  the  Oklahoma  Military  Academy,  at 
Claremore.  At  the  dates  when  these  schools  were  established,  it 
was  thought  that  the  maintenance  of  secondary  schools  of  these 
types  by  the  State  was  necessary  to  the  proper  development  of 
public  education  in  Oklahoma.  The  conditions  then  obtaining,  how- 
ever, no  longer  exist.  With  the  subsequent  improvements  which 
have  taken  place,  and  with  the  development  of  public  high  schools 
along  lines  recommended  in  this  report,  it  is  difficult  to  see  the  nec- 
essity for  the  continuance  of  these  schools  as  now  constituted  un- 
der State  support  and  control.  If  they  are  to  be  continued  as  State 
institutions,  their  functions  should  be  denned  more  specifically,  in 
harmony  with  the  general  educational  program  suggested  in  this 
report. 

INSTRUCTION  IN  AGRICULTURE. 

As  stated  in  a  previous  section  it  is  felt  that  two  units  of  voca- 
tional instruction  are  all  that  are  advisable  in  the  high  school  years. 
These  units  should  be  organized  about  one  dominant  plant  enter- 
prise and  one  dominant  animal  enterprise  of  the  region.  The  or- 
ganization should  be  determined  by  a  job  analysis,  as  illustrated  in 
bulletins  No.  68  Agricultural  Series  No.  9  and  No.  74,  Agricultural 
Series  No.  10,  Federal  board  for  vocational  education. 

The  administrative  heads  and  teachers  of  agriculture  in  these 
schools  maintain  that  instruction  related  to  projects  in  these  State 
schools  is  impossible.  Yet  the  fact  remains  that  the  only  successful 
schools  of  the  type,  and  they  are  few,  have  worked  out  a  successful 
group  project  system. 

As  an  example  of  the  possibilities  of  the  group  project  method 
consider  the  course  in  dairying.  All  of  these  schools  have  dairy 
herds,  in  every  case  cared  for  by  boys  who  are  paid  for  the  work. 
They  may  be  taking  dairying — they  may  not.  In  no  case  is  any 
attempt  made  to  teach  dairying  as  related  to  the  practice  work  of 
caring  for  the  herd. 


274  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Conditions  here  are  ideal  for  the  best  possible  kind  of  group 
project  work.  If  the  boys  taking  dairying  elect  it,  as  they  should, 
because  they  expect  to  practice  dairying,  the  instructor  should 
assign  them  the  task  of  running  the  dairy  under  his  supervision  and 
give  them  the  profits  of  the  enterprise.  The  boarding  department 
furnished  a  good  market.  The  work  should  be  placed  on  a  definite 
commercial  basis.  Every  item  of  feed  and  other  expense  should  be 
charged,  and  the  market  price  for  the  products  collected  from  the 
boarding  department. 

The  class  should  be  divided  into  a  production  section  having 
the-  care  of  the  herd  and  milking  and  the  delivery  of  whole  milk  to 
a  second  manufacturing  section,  who  will  pay  for  the  milk  on  a  fat 
basis,  convert  it  into  manufactured  products,  and  sell  these  products 
in  turn  to  the  boarding  department  or  such  other  markets  as  are 
available.  The  jobs  should  be  rotated  so  that  every  boy  has  a 
chance  to  acquire  skill  at  every  specific  job  in  dairying.  The  length 
of  time  a  boy  is  kept  on  a  job  should  depend  upon  the  time  required 
for  him  to  acquire  a  certain  skill  at  the  job.  The  making  of  a 
profit  should  be  a  major  factor  in  judging  the  success  of  the  group 
as  students  of  dairying. 

Similar  group  projects  are  possible  in  swine,  poultry,  beef, 
cattle,  gardening  and  field  crops.  In  the  case  of  long  season  crops 
difficulties  are  introduced  in  the  matter  of  care  of  the  crops  during 
vacation  but  the  difficulties  are  not  impossible  of  solution. 

Through  such  a  system  of  instruction  many  of  the  shortcomings 
of  the  home  project  method  are  avoided.  Supervision  is  easy.  Stu- 
dents do  not  waste  so  much  time  in  field  trips  getting  to  and  from 
farms  where  materials  illustrative  of  instruction  are  found.  Students 
are  not  limited  by  cost  consideration  in  choosing  their  projects; 
opportunity  to  teach  cooperation  is  provided  in  the  best  possible 
way.  Land-owning  rural  high  schools  will  survive  only  through 
adoption  of  some  such  real  vocational  method. 

SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS   CONCERNING 
RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

(1.)  The  elementary  and  secondary  school  system,  teacher  pre- 
paring institutions  and  functions,  and  certificating  authority  should 
be  under  the  direction  and  supervision  of  the  State  board  of  educa- 
tion. The  board  should  be  composed  of  7  or  9  members  elected  at 
large  on  a  non  partisan  basis  and  should  serve  long  terms,  prob- 
ably 7  or  9  years. 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  275 

(2.)  The  State  Superintendent  should  be  appointed  by  the 
board  for  a  term  and  at  a  salary  to  be  fixed  by  the  board,  and  should 
be  its  executive  officer  to  whom  educational  matters  are  delegated 
for  execution.  The  board  itself  should  function  as  a  legislative  body. 

(3.)  A  Division  of  Rural  Schools  should  be  established  in  the 
State  department  of  education  with  one  director  in  charge  and  at 
least  3  assistants. 

(4.)  Present  school  district  lines  and  organizations  should  be 
discontinued,  except  in  the  case  of  certain  districts  meeting  stand- 
ard requirements  of  the  State  board  of  education  as  to  territory, 
valuation,  and  educational  efficiency.  All  other  districts  now  des- 
ignated or  ungraded  rural,  union  graded,  consolidated,  and  inde- 
pendent should  together  form  county  systems  of  schools  adminis- 
tered by  county  boards  of  education. 

(5.)  The  county  board  of  education  should  be  composed  of  5 
or  7  members  elected  at  large  for  terms  of  5  or  7  years  each,  one  term 
expiring  each  year.  They  should  have  general  control  over  all 
schools  of  the  county  outside  of  independent  districts,  have  power 
to  levy  a  county-wide  school  tax  to  be  apportioned  on  an  equalized 
basis  as  between  independent  districts  and  county  school  districts, 
as  set  forth  in  Chapter  III,  and  should  appoint  as  executive  officer 
of  the  board  a  county  superintendent  of  schools. 

(6.)  The  county  superintendent  should  be  appointed  for  a 
term  and  salary  designated  by  the  board;  should  hold  an  adminis- 
trative and  supervisory  certificate  as  provided  in  the  certification 
law;  should  be  a  person  of  executive  ability,  broad  training  and 
culture,  and  successful  administrative  experience,  selected  without 
regard  to  residence  within  or  without  the  State  or  county,  but  solely 
because  of  special  fitness  for  the  position. 

(7.)  The  county  board,  upon  the  nomination  of  the  County 
superintendent,  should  appoint  the  supervisors  and  teaching  staff; 
should  levy  a  special  tax  for  the  support  of  the  schools  under  its 
administrative  control,  and  apportion  it  among  the  schools  in  the 
county  according  to  their  needs ;  provide  buildings  and  equipment ; 
locate  school  buildings  and  sites;  fix  the  county  salary  schedule 
within  the  law;  and  perform  all  other  duties  usually  assigned  to 
boards  of  school  trustees. 

(8.)  An  adequate  supervisory  and  clerical  staff,  suitable  office 
accomodations  and  equipment,  and  traveling  expenses  for  super- 
intendents and  supervisors  should  be  provided  by  the  county  board. 
Professional  supervisors  should  be  selected  because  of  special  ability, 


276   .  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

preparation,  and  successful  experience,  and  should  be  paid  salaries 
commensurate  with  the  importance  of  their  work.  They,  should  be 
nominated  by  the  county  superintendents  and  act  as  his  assistants. 
At  least  one  supervisor  to  every  40  teachers  in  addition  to  the  first 
25  should  be  employed;  one  supervisor  for  every  25  teachers  is  a 
better  allocation. 

(9.)  As  soon  as  State  and  county  departments  are  properly 
staffed  a  Division  of  School  Attendance  should  be  established  in  the 
State  department,  which  should  work  with  and  through  the  county 
department  of  education.  The  responsibility  for  the  enforcement 
of  the  compulsory  education  law  should  be  assumed  by  this  divi- 
sion. A  new  system  of  keeping  attendance  records  and  reports  and 
of  encouraging  better  school  attendance  should  be  inaugurated. 

(10.)  A  new  course  of  study  should  be  prepared  by  the  State 
board  of  education  providing  specifically  in  content  and  organiza- 
tion for  the  needs  of  rural  schools  of  all  the  different  types  prevalent 
in  the  State.  Specific  suggestions  are  given  on  pages  231-232. 

(11.)  A  Division  of  School  Buildings  should  be  established  in 
the  State  department,  which  should  cooperate  with  the  county  de- 
partments of  education.  All  new  buildings  and  repairs  for  amounts 
greater  than  $400  should  be  submitted  by  thev  county  superintendent 
for  approval  by  the  State  building  inspectors.  These  officers  should 
be  empowered  to  condemn  present  buildings  which  do  not  meet  the 
standards  and  requirements  fixed  by  the  State  board  of  education. 

(12.)  Special  provision  for  the  training  of  teachers  for  rural 
schools  should  be  made  at  an  early  date.  Standards  for  teacher 
preparing  courses  should  be  set  by  the  State  board  of  education 
and  requirements  should  conform  to  the  provisions  of  the  certifica- 
tion law  and  be  gradually  increased  as  rapidly  as  is  consistent  with 
the  demand  for  teachers  and  the  welfare  of  the  schools.  As  soon 
as  possible  requirements  for  teaching  certificates,  standards  for 
teacher  preparing  courses,  and  entrance  requirements  to  classes  and 
institutions  preparing  teachers  should  be  equivalent  for  rural  and 
urban  schools. 

(13.)  The  movement  for  centralizing  schools  needs  direction. 
The  administrative  organization  suggested  above  will  provide  this. 
Even  with  liberal  State  aid  for  equalization  of  educational  appoint- 
ments and  tax  burdens,  it  will  probably  be  necessary  for  the  State 
to  assume  all  or  a  large  proportion  of  the  expense  of  transportation. 
The  growing  number  of  centralized  schools  indicate  that  there  is  a 


RURAL  SCHOOLS  277 

demand  for  special  attention  to  their  needs  in  organization,  manage- 
ment, instruction  and  course  of  study  on  the  part  of  State  auth- 
orities. Definite  suggestions  to  this  end  are  offered  on  pages  242-243. 

SUMMAEY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  CONCERNING 
RURAL  HIGH  SCHOOLS. 

(1)  Oklahoma  should  develop  a  system  of  rural  junior  higk 
-schools  whereby  instruction  in  grades  7,  8,  and  9,  may  be  made 
effective  and  elementary  schools  relieved  of  the  burden  of  the  work 
in  grades  7  and  8.    Work  in  these  grades  is  now  maintained  at  the; 
cost  of  efficiency  in  the  first  six  grades. 

(2)  The  independent  district  system  should  be  abandoned  and 
the   county   unit   system   substituted  under   proper   conditions   of 
State  aid.     Inequalities   of  educational  opportunity   will  thus   be 
materially  reduced. 

(3)  The  State  board  for  vocational  education  should  be  made 
a  part  of  the  State  department  of  education  thus  avoiding  the  pos- 
sibility of  conflicting  educational  policies. 

(4)  Oklahoma  should  give  much  more  attention  to  the  devel- 
opment of  part-time  work  in  vocational  agriculture  and  in  home 
economics. 

(5)  Itinerant  teaching  on  the  part  of  vocational  instructors 
should  become  general  in  sparsely  settled  agricultural  counties. 

(6)  Club  work  with  boys  and  girls  under  the  Smith-Lever 
service  should  be  placed  on  a  definitely  educational  basis  under 
the  direction  of  county  superintendents. 

(7)  Curricula  definitely  adapted  to  the  needs  of  rural  boys 
and  girls  should  be  developed  in  rural  high  schools. 

(8)  Local  administration  in'  high  schools  should  make  such 
use  of  alternation  and  rotation  of  subjects  in  the  curriculum  as  to 
insure  that  classes  are  of  the  proper  size  and  a  proper  teaching  load 
is  maintained. 

(9)  A  complete  reorganization  of  instruction  in  English  is 
desirable. 

(10)  Instruction  in  social  sciences  should  be  emphasized  and 
should  grow  out  of  problems  laid  bare  by  a  study  of  the  community. 

(11)  Vocational    guidance    rather    than    vocational    training 
should  be  sought  in  the  junior  high  school  years. 

(12)  The    State    department   should   immediately   undertake 
the  task  of  organizing  vocational  courses  in  agriculture  about  the 
practice  jobs  of  the  dominant  agricultural  enterprizes  of  the  State. 


278  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

(13)  Instruction  in  home  economics  should  make  general  use 
of  a  project  method  and  get  away  from  the  academic  method  now 
prevailing. 

(14)  State  schools  of  agriculture  should  be  placed  on  a  basis 
of  local  support  with  State  aid. 

(15)  State  schools  of  agriculture  should  be  placed  under  the 
control  of  the  State  department  of  education  so  long  as  they  oper- 
ate as  State  schools. 

(16)  The  State  schools  of  agriculture  should  conform  to  the 
recommendations  for  curricula  in  comprehensive  senior  high  schools. 

(17)  Administration  of  rural  high  schools  of  the  boarding 
type  should  bring  about  a  close  correlation  between  the  three  units 
which  make  up  the  schools, — the  school  proper,  the  farm,  and  the 
boarding  department. 

(18)  A  real  vocational  method  in  agriculture  should  be  fol- 
lowed at  such  schools  through  a  group  project  method. 

(19)  Land  owning  rural  high  schools  should  become  a  center 
for  agricultural  extension  work. 


El  Reno 

Alderson 

Bartlesville 

Norman 

Blackwell 

Haileyville 

Dewey 

Ardmore 

Hartshorne 

Tulsa 

Sapulpa 

McAl  ester 

Purcell 

Muskogee 

Ponca  City 

Chickasha 

Okmulgee 

Pauls  Valley 

Oklahoma  City 

Welch 

Miami 

Lawton 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS 

PLACES  VISITED. 

Members  of  the  Survey  Staff  visited  the  village  and  city  school 
systems  of  the  following  places,  and  held  conferences  with  school 
executives,  board  members,  teachers,  and,  wherever  possible,  with 
groups  of  citizens : 

Enid 

Dos 

Yukon 

Krebs 

Bates 

Moore 

Shawnee 

Guyman 

The  report  which  follows  attempts  to  represent  typical  condi- 
tions and  practices  rather  than  to  describe  the  situation  existing  in 
any  particular  school  or  system.  Through  the  cooperation  of  a  group 
of  school  superintendents,  a  survey  of  the  results  of  instruction  was 
made  by  means  of  standard  mental  and  educational  tests  in  the  fol- 
lowing subjects:  General  Intelligence,  Spelling,  Beading,  Hand- 
writing, English  Composition,  Arithmetic,  and  Algebra.  State  and 
local  reports  were  frequently  consulted  and  constitutional  and  legis- 
lative enactments  affecting  village  and  city  school  systems  were 
carefully  scrutinized. 

SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

The  following  recommendations  affect  particularly  village,  town 
and  city  school  units.  Following  each  recommendation  will  be 
found  a  more  detailed  statement  giving  the  data  upon  which  it  is 
based. 

REMOVAL  OF  RESTRICTIONS  ON  TAX  LEVY. 

(1)  Amend  or  revise  the  Constitution  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
permit  a  school  unit  to  raise  sufficient  funds  to  maintain  standard 
schools.  Do  this  in  one  of  two  ways : 

279 


280  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

(a)  Permit  a  unit  to  raise  any  amount  it  desires  with  no  con- 
stitutional or  legislative  limitations  whatsoever.     Allow  the  levy 
to  include  expenditures  for  capital  outlay  (new  buildings,  etc.,)  as 
well  as  consumable  expenditures.     At  least,  remove  the  constitu- 
tional limitation  and  leave  the  maximum  to  the  legislature. 

(b)  If  the  foregoing  is  thought  to  be  impossible,  amend  or 
revise  the  constitution  so  as  to  permit  a  school  unit  to  raise  at  least 
25  mills  for  all  purposes,  (new  building  included),  and  at  least  15 
additional  mills  by  a  special  vote  of  the  local  unit.    If  a  unit  has 
once  voted  to  levy  any  or  all  of  the  15  additional  mills,  the  permit 
to  levy  should  remain  a  power  of  the  board  until  revoked  in  the 
same  manner  in  which  it  was  granted. 

DISCUSSION. 

Why  is  more  money  needed  for  the  schools? 

(a)  The  school  year  is  longer.    Twenty  years  ago  the  average 
was  scarcely  four  months.    Today,  the  average  in  Oklahoma  is  7.3 
months. 

(b)  School  buildings  cost  more  today  than  formerly,  and  are 
larger,  more  sanitary,  permanent,  and  include  a  greater  variety  of 
rooms  for  special  work. 

(c)  Teachers  are  better  trained  and  therefore  rightfully  de- 
mand better  salaries. 

(d)  More  children  go  to  school  especially  in  grades  7  to  12. 
There  were  very  few  high  schools  in  the  State  20  years  ago.    In  1912 
there  were  only  29  fully  accredited  high  schools  in  the  State;  in 
1920  there  were  262. 

(e)  Children  stay  in  school  longer,  due  to  child  labor  and 
attendance  laws,  and  to  better  educational  traditions  in  the  family. 

(f )  Civilization  is  growing  more  and  more  complex,  and  there- 
fore education,  which  is  both  life  and  a  preparation  for  life,  is  cor- 
respondingly complex. 

(g)  The  purchasing  power  of  the  dollar  has  decreased. 

The  Constitutional  limitation  was  enacted  at  a  time  when  our 
public  schools  were  just  beginning  to  grow  in  popularity.  It  was 
impossible  to  predict  the  startling  growth  and  development  of  the 
last  few  years.  The  makers  of  the  Constitution,  if  they  could  have 
foreseen  the  development  of  today  probably  would  not  have  placed 
a  5  mill  limitation  in  the  constitution.  The  average  levy  for  all  the 
districts  of  the  State  in  1921-22  was  9  mills.  Many  districts  levy 
the  limit  15  mills. 


VILLAGE  AND   CITY   SCHOOLS  281 

All  new  buildings  must  be  built  from  money  derived  from  the 
sale  of  bonds.  This  means  a  large  interest  charge.  Furthermore, 
it  is  impossible  to  predict  what  may  happen  in  the  future.  Surely, 
if  a  limitation  upon  the  taxing  power  is  necessary,  it  is  wiser  to 
leave  it  to  the  legislature  than  to  have  it  fixed  in  the  Constitution. 

The  limit  should  be  higher  than  is  now  prescribed.  How  much 
higher?  No  one  can  answer  exactly,  except  that  it  should  be  as  high 
as  the  people  of  any  district  desire  to  go.  The  WILL  to  provide 
education  is  the  only  sure  measure  of  what  WILL  be  provided.  The 
investigators  were  repeatedly  told  that  the  people  of  a  given  school 
district  want  better  schools,  and  are  willing  to  pay  for  them  if  the 
basic  law  would  permit. 

A  LONGER  SCHOOL  YEAR. 

(2)  Section  58  of  the  school  laws  should  be  repealed,  and  a 
law  enacted  requiring  all  school  districts  to  maintain  at  least  8 
months  in  1924-25 ;  and  9  months  thereafter. 

DISCUSSION. 

The  present  law  requires  only  3  months,  but  permits  any  length 
of  term  the  district  board  may  vote.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  conditions 
are  better  than  the  law  requires.  Only  one  per  cent  of  the  districts 
maintain  only  4  or  less  months  of  school;  4  per  cent  maintain  5 
months  school  or  less ;  25  per  cent  6  or  less ;  46  per  cent  7  or  less ; 
86  per  cent  8  or  less;  and  99  per  cent  9  or  less.  Stated  in  another 
way,  13  per  cent  maintain  9  months  of  school ;  40  per  cent  maintain 
8  months;  25  per  cent  maintain  7  months  of  school;  16  per  cent 
maintain  6  months;  3  per  cent  maintain  5  months;  and  1  per  cent 
maintain  4  months  of  school  or  less.  None  maintain  less  than  three 
months. 

The  average  length  of  the  school  year  for  different  types  of  dis- 
tricts was  in  1921-22 : 

Independent  districts         9  months,  with  average  levy  of  14.5  mills 


Village  districts  8% 

Consolidated  districts  7 

Union  Graded  districts  7 

Ungraded  districts  7.2 

Average  for  all  kinds  7.3 


13 
14 
11 


It  is  clear  from  these  data  that  the  law  concerning  the  length  of 
the  school  term  should  be  revised  to  conform  more  nearly  to  the 
average  practice  and  to  guide  that  practice  to  better  standards. 


282  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

LIMITING  THE  POWER  OF  THE  EXCISE  BOARD. 

(3)  Amend  or  revise  Section  443  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make 
it  mandatory  upon  an  Excise  Board  to  levy  whatever  rate,  within 
the  law,  a  school  Board  may  decide  that  it  needs  to  run  the  school 
properly.    If  a  school  Board  fails  to  appropriate  a  sufficient  sum  the 
excise  board  may  exercise  the  right  to  increase  the  appropriation. 

DISCUSSION. 

The  present  law  (Section  443)  gives  the  Excise  Board  the  right 
to  require  a  Board  of  Education  to  make  "  further  detailed  and 
itemized "  statements  of  appropriation  and  "to  impose  and  pre- 
scribe such  additional  restrictions  as  to  expenditures  of  any  item  of 
appropriation  as  it  may  deem  meet  and  proper".  This  restriction 
should  be  removed.  A  Board  of  Education  knows  the  needs  of  a 
school  system  better  than  any  other  board.  It  should,  therefore, 
have  absolute  rights  under  the  law  making  it  independent  of  any 
and  all  other  governmental  restrictions.  The  present  law  subor- 
dinates the  powers  of  the  Board  of  Education  to  those  of  the  Excise 
Board.  It  makes  it  possible  for  an  Excise  Board  to  review,  revise, 
and  restrict  a  Board  of  Education  in  the  performance  of  a  function 
which  by  law  is  the  duty  of  a  Board  of  Education  rather  than  the 
duty  of  an  Excise  Board.  While  gross  abuses  are  not  common, 
nevertheless  complaints  are  frequent  that  Excise  Boards  are  actu- 
ally using  the  law  to  reduce  appropriations  quite  without  regard 
to  the  recommendations  of  Board  of  Education  and  their  officers. 

REVISION  OF  LAWS  PERTAINING  TO  CERTIFICATION  OF 

TEACHERS. 

(4)  The  present  system  of  issuing  teachers  certificates  should 
be  gradually  abolished,  and  the  plan  herein  proposed  substituted 
for  the  present  system  as  rapidly  as  possible.     The  plan  proposed 
is  based  upon  the  following  principles: 

(a)  The  authority  to  issue  certificates  should  be  removed  as 
far  as  possible  from  undue  personal  and  local  influences. 

(b)  The  authority  should  be  centralized  rather  than  divided. 

(c)  The  number  and  kind  of  certificates  should  be  reduced 
to  the  minimum. 

(d)  The  terminology  of  the  certificate  should,  so  far  as  pos- 
sible, describe  the  certificate. 

(e)  Certificates  should  be  issued  on  the  promotional   basis. 
As  a  teacher's  experience  and  training  accumulates  she  should  be 
able  to  pass  from  a  lower  to  a  higher  certificate. 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  283 

(f)  Greater  stress  should  be  placed  upon  training,  and  less 
upon  marks  in  examinations  and  experience. 

(g)  The  period  of  validity  of  all  kinds  of  certificates  should 
be  limited. 

(h)  Renewal  of  certificates  should  be  based  upon  evidence  of 
additional  professional  attainment. 

(i)  A  satisfactory  statement  concerning  the  health  of  the 
candidate  should  be  required  before  a  certificate  is  granted  or  re- 
newed. 

(j)  In  a  State's  plan  for  teacher  certification  a  goal  should 
be  set  which  is  to  be  attained  in  a  definite  period  of  years.  Usually 
ten  years  is  sufficient.  The  method  of  attaining  a  goal  should  be 
so  arranged  as  to  be  fair  to  the  great  majority  of  teachers  now 
teaching  and  the  others  who  will  enter  the  profession  later.  Through- 
out the  United  States  the  insistent  demand  for  better  trained  teach- 
ers is  resulting  in  the  establishment  and  the  attainment  of  the 
following  goals : 

(i)  For  all  elementary  schools  (Kindergarten  and  grades  1  to 
6  inclusive)  the  teachers  should  be  required  as  soon  as  possible  to 
have  not  less  than  2  years  of  normal  school  training,  OF  its  equiva- 
lent, based  upon  graduation  from  an  accredited  four-year  high 
school.  Certificates  should  be  based  upon  institutional  training 
rather  than  upon  examinations.  Ultimately  elementary  school  teach- 
ers should  be  as  well  prepared  as  high  school  teachers. 

(ii)  For  all  upper  grades,  intermediate  or  junior  high  schools 
and  senior  high  schools,  (grades  7  to  12  inclusive)  the  teachers 
should  be  required  as  soon  as  posisble  to  have  not  less  than  four 
years  of  normal  school,  college,  or  university  training,  which  should 
include  professional  courses  in  secondary  education,  based  upon 
graduation  from  an  accredited  four-year  high  school. 

(iii)  For  all  supervisors,  principals  and  other  administrative 
officers  there  should  be  required  not  less  than  from  one  to  three 
years  training  beyond  the  training  required  of  the  teachers  under 
them,  which  training  should  include  problems  in  organization,  super- 
vision, and  administration. 

Based  upon  the  foregoing  principles,  the  following  certification 
plan  for  the  period  1924  to  1934,  inclusive,  should  be  adopted  and 
put  into  effect.  This  plan  covers  the  issuance  of  certificates  to  all 
types  of  elementary  teachers  (primary,  kindergarten,  general,  etc.) 
and  provides,  for  a  gradually  increased  minimum  requirement  of 
academic  and  professional  training  as  a  prerequisite  for  the  lowest 
grade  of  elementary  certificate. 


284 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


CERTIFICATION  PROGRAM  1924  TO  1934. 

On  and  after  January  1,  1924,  and  subsequent  stated  dates,  no 
teacher  shall  be  employed  in  any  public  school  in  the  State  of  Okla- 
homa who  does  not  possess  a  certificate  requiring  the  minimum 
training  set  opposite  the  year. 


Year 

Required 
Academic 
Training 

Required 
Professional 
Training 

Kind  of 
Certificate 

1924 

1  year  High  School 

9  weeks  professional 
or  8  semester  hours 

Lowest  Grade 
Elementary 

1925 

2  year  High  School 

9  weeks  professional 
or  8  semester  hours 

Lowest  Grade 
Elementary 

1926 

3  year  High  School 

9  weeks  professional 
or  8  semester  hours 

Lowest  Grade 
Elementary 

1927 

4  year  High  School 

9  weeks  professional 
or  8  semester  hours 

Lowest  Grade 
Elementary 

1928 

High  School  Graduate 

18  weeks  professional 
16  semester  hours 

Lowest  Grade 
Elementary 

2929 

High  'School  Graduate 

27  weeks  professional 
24  semester  hours 

Lowest  Grade, 
Elementary 

1930 

High  School  Graduate 

1  year  Professional 
Training 

Lowest  Grade 
Elementary 

1931 

High  School  Graduate 

1  Year  Professional 
Training 

Lowest  Grade 
Elementary 

1932 

High  School  Graduate 

1  year  plus  18  weeks 

Lowest  Grade 
Elementary 

1933 

High  School  Graduate 

1  year  plus  27  weeks 

Lowest  Grade 
Elementary 

1934 

High  School  Graduate 

2  years 

Lowest  -Grade 
Elementary 

VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  285 

LIMITATIONS  OF  PRESENT  CERTIFICATION  LAW. 

The  system  of  certificating  teachers  is  an  important  factor  af- 
fecting the  character  of  instruction  provided  in  any  State.  No  sys- 
tem of  certificating  teachers  should  stand  by  itself.  It  is  merely 
one  means  of  establishing  and  maintaining  standards  for  the  devel- 
opment of  a  properly  qualified  teaching  force  in  the  State.  It 
should  be  properly  related  to  the  amount  and  character  of  training 
and  experience  which  teachers  possess  and  also  to  the  minimum 
salary  paid  to  teachers. 

An  analysis  of  the  laws  and  practices  pertaining  to  the  granting 
of  certificates  in  Oklahoma  show  that  there  are  four  certificating 
agencies  in  the  State. 

(a)  The  office  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruc- 
tion. 

(b)  The  State  Board  of  Education. 

(c)  The  County  Board  of  Examiners. 

(d)  The  City  Board  of  Examiners. 

The  powers,  duties,  practices,  and  efficiency  of  these  four 
agencies  vary  widely.  Much  confusion  exists  due  to  the  failure  to 
adopt  a  set  of  guiding  principles  and  to  centralize  authority  in  com- 
petent hands. 

The  tendency  throughout  the  United  States  is  towards  cen- 
tralization in  the  matter  of  granting  teacher  certification.  Origin- 
ally Boards  of  Education  of  each  school  district  had  the  power  to 
certificate.  Gradually,  this  gave  way  to  certification  by  County 
Boards  and  County  Superintendents.  During  the  last  quarter  of  a 
century  the  function  of  the  State  in  this  matter  has  been  more  fully 
recognized,  and  finally,  teachers'  training  institutions  themselves 
have  been  granted  certain  powers  of  certification,  subject  only  to 
the  supervision  and  regulation  of  their  governing  Board,  or  the 
State  Department  of  Public  Instruction.  The  tendency  throughout 
the  United  States  is  towards  centralizing  authority  in  the  office  of 
the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  It  then  may  be 
delegated  by  that  office  to  teacher  training  institutions  .and  County 
Superintendents  under  certain  conditions. 

The  present  County  and  City  Board  of  Examiners  is  unneces- 
sary and  cumbersome.  The  examination  questions  can  be  prepared 
and  graded  for  all  of  the  counties  and  cities  of  the  State  in  one  cen- 


286  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

tral  office,  namely,  the  office  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction.  This  assumes  that  that  office  is  a  professional  rather 
than  a  political  one.  This  will  promote  both  economy  and  uni- 
formity. One  person  can  conduct  the  local  examination.  Local 
Boards  of  Education  should  possess  and  exercise  the  right  of  re- 
ceiving higher  qualifications  than  those  received  for  certificates. 
The  possession  of  a  certificate  should  not  be  used  to  compel  a  local 
Board  to  hire  a  teacher  who  does  not  otherwise  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  local  board. 

NUMBER  AND  KIND  OF  CERTIFICATES. 

(5)  The  law  should  provide  that  the  State  Board  of  Education 
shall  make  regulations  concerning  the  number  and  classes  of  teach- 
ing certificates,  and  shall  fix  regulations  for  the  same  in  addition 
to  the  minimum  prerequisites  fixed  by  law;  that  the  board  shall 
provide  for  at  least  seven  classes  of  certificates,  with  at  least  two 
grades  of  each,  namely :  Standard  and  Provisional,  depending  on 
qualifications  demanded.  The  classes  of  certificates  should  be  at 
least  the  following : 

1.  Certificates  in  school  administration,  to  be  exacted  of  State 
and  county  superintendents. 

(a)  Standard. 

(b)  Pro  visional  ^ 

2.  Certificates  in  Supervision.       Exacted  of  Supervisors,   (a) 
and  (b). 

3.  Principal's  certificate. 

(1)  Elementary  schools,  (a)  and  (b). 

(2)  High  schools,  (a)  and  (b). 

4.  High  school  Teachers'  Certificates.       Prescribing  the  sub- 
jects to  be  taught.       (a)  and  (b). 

5.  Elementary  Teachers'  Certificates. 

(1)  Primary,  (a)  and  (b). 

(2)  Intermediate,  (a)  and  (b). 

(3)  Grammar  grade,  (a)  and  (b). 

6.  Special  subject  certificates  in  Kindergarten,  Music,  Manual 
Training,  etc.  (a)  and  (b)  for  each. 

7.  Special  Rural  School  Certificates.       (a)   and  (b). 

High  school  certificates  should  be  valid  in  high  schools,  and  in 
grammar  grades  of  elementary  schools;  elementary  school  certifi- 
cates, and  rural  school  certificates  should  be  valid  in  elementary 
schools — rural  or  city;  special  subject  certificates  should  be  valid 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  287 

for  teaching  the  subject  for  which  issued  only.  Requirements 
for  elementary  teachers  of  the  different  kinds  and  special  rural 
school  certificates  should  be  equivalent  and  certificates  interchange- 
able; they  are  intended  to  represent  special  preparation  along  the 
particular  line  indicated. 

As  rapidly  as  possible  all  teachers  in  grades  7  to  12  in  city 
schools  should  be  expected  to  meet  the  qualifications  prescribed 
by  the  North  Central  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools. 
These  standards  should  not,  for  the  present,  apply  to  rural  schools 
so  far  as  the  7  and  8  grades  are  concerned. 

RELATION  OF  SALARY  TO  CERTIFICATE. 

6.  The  certification  law  should  be  accompanied  by  a  minimum 
salary  provision.  The  minimum  salary  should  be  prescribed  for 
each  grade  of  certificate,  which  salary  should  increase  at  least 
$50.00  a  step  as  requirments  increase.  The  following  guiding 
principles  are  recommended  for  consideration  in  determining  the 
amount  of  salary. 

(a)  Every  teacher  is  entitled  to  a  minimum  salary  which  will 
provide  a  living  wage  for  twelve  months  and  a  standard  of  living 
which  will  draw  people  of  refinement  and  ability  to  teaching. 

(b)  Other  factors  being  the  same,  the  teacher  in  the  grades 
should  receive  as  much  salary  as  the  teacher  in  the  other  school 
divisions. 

(c)  Salary  increases  and  attainable  maximum  should  be  so  ar- 
ranged that  (i)  they  offer  a  career  in  teaching,  and  (ii)  they  induce 
the  best  young  men  and  women  from  the  high  school  to  prepare  for 
teaching,  and  (iii)  they  secure  constant  improvement  during  the 
time  of  teaching. 

(d)  The  more  and  the  better  the  academic  and  professional 
preparation  that  a  teacher  has,  other  factors  being  equal,  the  more 
salary  she  should  receive. 

(e)  The  more  successful  experience  a  teacher  has  had  in  the 
particular  field  in  which  she  is  working,  other  factors  being  equal, 
the  more  salary  she  should  receive. 

(f)  Every  successful  teacher  should  find  it  possible  to  pass 
from  a  mere  living  wage  to  an  "economic  independence"  wage  and 
from  that  to  a  "cultural"  wage.      The  second  of  these,  the  "econ- 
omic independence"  wage,  should  provide  the  teacher  with  a  salary 
adequate  to  meet  her  necessary  expense  and  those  of  her  dependents, 
with  margin  enough  to  provide  for  necessary  professional  advance- 


288  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

ment,  and  above  that  a  margin  for  saving  and  investment.  The 
third,  or  "cultural"  wage,  should  be  enough  to  provide  for  economic 
independence  and  still  allow  for  travel,  additional  study,  the  best 
in  music,  literature  art,  etc. ;  thus  to  keep  the  teacher  a  true  repre- 
sentative of  '.Ke  best  in  the  social  inheritance  of  the  race. 

(g)  There  should  be  enough  flexibility  in  the  salary  schedule 
to  provide  extra  pay  for  teachers  of  extra  ability.  In  other  words, 
merit  should  be  recognized,  other  factors  being  equal. 

MODERN  EDUCATIONAL  OBJECTIVES. 

(7)  The  public  schools  of  Oklahoma  should  adopt  the  seven 
cardinal  objectives  of  education  announced  by  the  Committee  on  the 
Reorganization  of  Secondary  Education,  or  some  similar  formulation 
of  aims.  The  seven  objectives  are :  health,  command  of  funda- 
mental processes,  worthy  home  membership,  vocation,  citizenship, 
worthy  use  of  leisure  and  ethical  character. 

EDUCATIONAL  OBJECTIVES. 

The  course  of  study  in  the  public  schools  should  be  determined 
by  two  basic  principles,  the  nature  of  the  individual  and  the  char- 
acter of  society.  In  America  it  is  generally  conceived  that  we  are 
seeking  by  education  to  inculcate  in  the  individual  such  knowledge, 
attitudes,  skills,  and  appreciations  as  will  make  him  an  intelligent, 
cooperative  citizen.  To  accomplish  this  end  through  the  curricu- 
lum, these  seven  aims  are  urged  by  the  Committee  on  the  Reor- 
ganization of  Secondary  Education.  The  ends  of  education  as 
stated  by  some  other  writers  on  modern  educational  problems  are 
five  in  number.  They  hold  that  the  public  school  should  seek  to 
gain:  physical,  vocational,  avocational,  civic,  moral,  and  religious 
efficiency.  It  is  readily  seen  that  there  are  no  conflicts  between 
these  two  statements.  If  it  is  found  that  the  material  in  the  cur- 
riculum, is  live,  up-to-date  and  modern;  designed  to  impart  knowl- 
edge, establish  skills  and  habits  and  increase  appreciation  which  con- 
tributes to  either  of  the  physical,  vocational,  avocational,  civic  or 
moral  efficiency  of  the  individual  it  can  be  said  that  from  the  view- 
point of  American  Society,  it  is  a  desirable  curriculum. 

When  the  content  of  a  curriculum  stands  inspection  from  the 
view  of  desirability  to  American  Society,  we  must  then  turn  to  see 
whether  the  subjects  of  that  curriculum  have  been  arranged  so  that, 
considering  the  nature  of  the  individual,  we  can  expect  the  largest 
returns.  Educational  psychologists  agree  that  because  of  the  chang- 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY   SCHOOLS  289 

ing  nature  of  a  growing  individual  a  certain  sequence  of  material 
is  desirable  in  the  public  schools.  It  is  necessary  for  the  continued 
existence  of  society  that  every  individual  of  that  society  absorb  or 
acquire  certain  fundamental  common  knowledge,  habits,  ideas,  and 
mental  attitudes  for  which  that  society  stands.  For  instance,  a 
society  which  exists  because  of  a  common  speech  would  readily 
disintegrate  if  the  youth  of  that  society  were  not  taught  this  com- 
mon speech. 

Therefore,  society  insists  that  this  group  of  fundamental  ideas, 
this  body  of  common  knowledge  be  acquired  by  each  youthful  mem- 
ber of  the  group  thus  integrating  them  with  the  society  as  a  whole. 
Now  it  happens  that  we  find  that  in  childhood  it  is  most  easily  pos- 
sible to  impress  on  the  mind  this  body  of  fundamental  knowledge 
and  integrating  ideals,  habits  and  modes  of  thought  and  therefore, 
the  curriculum  of  the  elementary  school  ought  to  stress  primarily 
the  acquisition  of  that  body  of  fundamental  knowledge  which 
it  is  desirable  that  each  child  acquire  if  the  society's  existence  is 
to  continue  unimpaired. 

Accordingly  we  measure  the  efficiency  of  the  elementary 
school  curriculum  in  the  American  public  school  by  whether  it  is 
designed  to  give  command  of  such  fundamental  processes  as  reading, 
spelling  and  arithmetic.  Other  subjects,  as  health,  and  apprecia- 
tion subjects,  such  as  Art  and  Music,  should  be  introduced  into 
the  elementary  school  curriculum,  but  nevertheless  the  primary 
business  of  the  elementary  school  is  to  establish  a  command  of  these 
fundamental  processes. 

INCREASING  ADAPTION  TO  INDIVIDUAL  NEEDS. ' 

If  this  integrating  process  has  gone  on  intensively  through  six 
grades  of  the  elementary  school,  the  school  can  afford  to  stress  this 
work  a  little  more  lightly  in  later  years  of  school,  in  order  that  the 
young  boy  or  girl  may  have  the  opportunity  which,  at  the  age  of 
adolescence  is  entirely  natural,  to  explore  a  little  further  in  the 
wide  field  of  human  knowledge  and,  therefore,  the  criteria  for  judg- 
ing the  work  of  the  seventh,  eighth,  and  ninth  grades  of  public 
schools  is  to  be  found  in  whether  the  curriculum  provides  for 
a  lessening  of  emphasis  on  the  integrating  elements  of  the  curricu- 
lum to  the  end  that  the  capacities  and  interests  of  the  pupils  may  be 
more  fully  explored.  This  gives  the  individual  pupils  the  opportu- 
nity to  follow  under  wise  direction  the  different  phases  of  the 
s.  s.  10 


290  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

curriculum  in  which  he  has  a  personal  interest,  and  for  which  he 
has  some  capacity. 

In  the  tenth,  eleventh,  and  twelfth  grades,  of  senior  high  school, 
the  integrating  function  of  the  elementary  school  lessens  still  fur- 
ther. In  many  schools  English  and  social  science  are  the  only  sub- 
jects required  of  all  pupils  in  these  years.  Here  the  emphasis  in 
the  curriculum  shifts  largely  from  the  integrating  function  to 
the  differentiating  function.  After  society  has  assured  itself  that 
the  youth  has  been  well  grounded  in  the  fundamental  factors  and 
processes  necessary  for  society's  continued  existence,  and  has  given 
the  pupil  an  opportunity  to  explore  different  fields  of  knowledge  in 
the  intermediate  grades,  it  may  be  well  to  expect  of  him  in  the 
senior  high  school  some  degree  of  specialized  achievement  whicl: 
will  fit  him  to  do  well  some  particular  task. 

The  courses  of  study  in  a  number  of  the  cities  visited  seem  to 
be  built  largely  on  the  above  premises.  It  is  the  judgment  of  the 
investigators  that  in  some  cases  Oklahoma  cities  furnish  an  illus- 
tration of  remarkable  progress  in  scientifically  arranging  curricula. 

The  work  of  city  superintendents  formulating  courses  of  study 
in  English,  mathematics,  and  citizenship  is  most  commendable,  and 
should  be  followed  by  courses  in  the  other  required  subjects. 

REORGANIZATION  OF  CITY  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS. 

(8)  At  present,  most  of  the  city  school  systems  of  Oklahoma 
provide  twelve  grades  of  instruction.  The  twelve  years  are  divided 
into  eight  years  of  elementary  and  four  years  of  high  school,  or 
what  is  commonly  known  as  the  8-4  plan  of  organization.  It  is 
gratifying  to  note  that  many  cities  in  Oklahoma  have  found  it 
advantageous  to  modify  the  standard  8-4  plan  and  to  inaugurate  the 
6-3-3  plan,  or  the  6-6  plan.  In  every  instance  observed,  the  adop- 
tion of  the  6-3-3  or  the  6-6  plan  has  apparently  been  decidedly  ad- 
vantageous. This  plan  is  recommended  for  all  cities,  and  the  stand- 
ards of  the  North  Central  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary 
schools  may  well  be  adopted  as  guiding  principles  by  city  school 
boards  throughout  the  State  in  the  development  of  junior  and  senior 
high  schools. 

These  standards  are  as  follows : 

(a)  The  secondary  school  should  be  a  unit  in  the  educa- 
tional system  and  should  include  grades  7-12. 

(b)  For  purposes  of  administrative  efficiency,  these  grades 
may  be  organized  on  the  basis  of  the  three-three  plan,  the  two- 


VILLAGE  AND   CITY   SCHOOLS  291 

four  plan,  or  the  six-year  plan,  as  local  conditions  warrant. 

(c)  Under  usual   conditions   a   school   system   with   fewer 
than  five  hundred  pupils  in  grades  7  to  12  should  not  attempt  to 
organize  on  the  basis  of  more  than  one  unit,  provided  these  grades 
are  housed  in  one  building. 

(d)  Under    usual    conditions    a    school    system    with    con- 
siderably   more    than   five    hundred   pupils    should    organize    the 
secondary  school  in  two  units. 

(e)  Ultimately  the  training  of  all  teachers  of  academic  sub- 
jects in  grades  7-12  should  be  the  same  as  that  fixed  by  the  North 
Central  Association  for  teachers  in  accredited  high  schools. 

(f)  In  its  curricular  offerings,  a  school  should  present  a 
range  of  work  in  seventh  and  eighth  grades  which  is  more  exten- 
sive than  that  offered  in  the  traditional  school,  and  provision  should 
be  made  for  some  directed  pupil-choice  of  subjects  to  be  studied. 

(g)  In  the  administration  of  the  program  of  studies  in  grades 
7  and  8,  provisions  should  be  made  for : 

(i     )    At  least  partial  departmentalization  of  Instruction. 

(i  i  )     Promotion  by  subject. 

(i  i  i)  Pupil  collateral  activities  supervised  by  school 
authorities. 

(i  v  )  Some  form  of  supervised  study,  either  by  teachers 
in  the  classrooms  or  by  trained,  experienced 
supervisors,  in  larger  study  halls. 

(h)     In  the  administration  of  the  school,  provision  should  be 
made  for: 

(i )     Recitation  periods  of  not  less  than  thirty-five  min- 
utes, exclusive  of  all  time  used  in  the  chang- 
ing of  classes  or  teachers, 
(i  i)     A  teaching  load  of  not  more  than  thirty  periods 

per  week  of  forty  minutes  each. 
(i  i  i)     A  number  of  pupils  per  teacher  based  on  average 

attendance  of  not  more  than  thirty. 

The  junior  high  school  and  six-year  high  school  movement  is 
of  too  recent  origin  to  warrant  the  adoption  at  present  of  too  rigid 
standards  for  accrediting.  In  fact,  any  effort  to  standardize  these 
schools  at  this  time  wrould  retard  rather  than  advance  the  progress 
of  this  important  movement. 


292  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

FREE  TEXT  BOOKS. 

(9)  County  uniformity  of  free  text-books  should  be  provided 
except  in  districts  of  2,500  population  or  over.  The  State  should 
not  attempt  to  print  its  own  text-books,  or  continue  the  present 
policy  of  State  uniformity. 

The  three  major  arguments  for  a  State  wide  adoption  of  text- 
books were : 

(a)  Reduction  of  the  cost  of  books  to  patrons. 

(b)  Reduction  of  the  frequent  changing  of  text-books. 

(c)  Uniformity. 

The  first  two  of  these  arguments  are  absolutely  eliminated  when 
a  system  of  free  text-books  is  adopted.  Therefore,  no  logical  use 
remains  for  a  State  Text-Book  Commission,  or  a  list  of  State-adopted 
books,  unless  the  desire  for  rigid  uniformity  still  prevails.  Too 
rigid  uniformity  violates  the  best  interests  of  special  groups  and 
classes  of  pupils. 

The  present  method  of  selecting  text-books  is  entirely  inade- 
quate, inasmuch  as  it  does  not  provide  for : 

(a)  Expert  professional  judgment  in  the  selection  of  books; 

(b)  More  than  one  approved  basic  text  in  each  subject  for 

each  grade; 

(c)  More  than  two  supplementary  reading  texts; 

(c)  Flexibility  inasmuch  as  it  requires  that  "each  grade  and 
each  subject  shall  be  considered  a  separate  adoption ' ' ; 

(e)  Opportunity  for  needed  reorganization  and  experimenta- 
tion in  the  course  of  study  in  certain  subjects  and  grades,  especially 
in  the  junior  high  school,  and  for  certain  special  conditions  or 
groups,  such  as  rural  and  negro  schools  and  special  classes  for  back- 
ward and  feeble  minded  children. 

The  fundamental  principles  that  should  guide  in  the  selection 
of  text-books  has  been  largely  ignored  in  the  present  text-book  law. 
The  following  cardinal  principles,  which  should  be  the  basis  of 
legislation  in  regard  to  text-books,  are  here  set  forth; 

(a)  A  generous  supply  of  good  text-books  in  the  hands  of 
each  pupil  is,  next  to  a  good  teacher,  the  most  effective  means  for 
his  instruction.     It  is  also  an  economy  since  the  amount  spent  for 
text-books  is  only  approximately  two  per  cent  of  the  total  annual 
cost  of  the  schools. 

(b)  All  of  the  more  important  means  of  instruction  should,  in 
a  democracy,  be  free,  equally  open  to  all,  and  as  far  as  possible 
suited  to  the  needs  of  each. 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  293 

(c)  Therefore,  text-books  should  be  free. 

(d)  The  public  should  protect  itself,  under  a  system  of  free 
text-books,  by  requiring  when  books  are  loaned  to  pupils  a  deposit 
fee  or  other  guarantee  that  the  books  will  be  returned  in  reasonably 
good  condition.      When  books  are  lost,  destroyed,  or  unreasonably 
worn,  pupils  should  be  required  to  pay  for  the  same.      When  books 
are  returned  in  reasonably  good  condition  the  deposit  should  be  re- 
turned. 

(e)  No  single  text-book  is  equally  suited  to  the  need  of  all 
the  children  of  a  given  grade  or  subject.       Individual  and  group 
differences  are  enormous,  and  should  be  recognized  in  the  selection 
of  text-books.      This  is  especially  true  for  grades  7  to  12,  where  the 
differentiating  function  rather  than  the  integrating  function  gov- 
erns. 

(f)  Text-books  should  be  selected  solely  on  their  merits,  with 
reference  to  their  adaptability  to  particular  individuals  and  groups. 

(g)  The  average  life  of  free  text-books  is  approximately  three 
years,  and,    therefore,  provision  should  be  made  for  new  adoptions 
and  renewals  on  a  three  year  basis. 

(h)  The  best  persons  to  select  text-books,  and  other  instruc- 
tional supplies  are  those  who  use  them  and  those  who  directly  su- 
pervise their  use. 

(i)  A  study  of  experiments  which  have  been  made  seems  to 
indicate  that  it  is  neither  economical  nor  a  sound  educational  policy 
for  a  State  to  print  its  own  text-books. 

STATE  AID  FOR  FREE  TEXT-BOOKS. 

(10)  It  is  recommended  that  the  State  shall  provide  each 
school  unit,  for  the  purchase  of  text-books,  the  sum  of  three  to 
five  dollars  per  pupil  enrolled  in  kindergarten  and  grades  one  to 
six  inclusive;  the  sum  of  four  to  six  dollars  for  each  white  and 
colored  pupil  enrolled  in  grades  seven  to  twelve  inclusive;  pro- 
vided that  all  money  not  expended  for  the  purchase  of  text-books 
may  be  spent  in  purchasing  supplementary  and  reference  books; 
provided  also  that  all  money  not  so  expended  shall  revert  to  the 
general  school  fund  of  the  State.  It  is  estimated  after  the  first 
year  free  text-books  will  cost  from  one-third  to  one-half  of  the  above 
estimate.  This  provides  for  replacements.  Appropriations  should 
be  made  on  this  basis. 


294  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

INSTRUCTIONAL  SUPPLIES. 

(11)  Practically  all  of  the  cities  visited  should  spend  much 
more  money  for  equipment;  including  charts,  maps,  sand  tables, 
etc.,  for  the  grade  schools.       The  needs  of  the  high  schools  in  the 
way  of  laboratory  equipment  have  been  fairly  well  met.      In  most 
cities  the  library  facilities  are  very  poor  and  should  be  materially 
increased.       Supplementary  reading  material  should  be  supplied 
much  more  liberally  than  is  done  throughout  the  twelve  grades. 
Few  schoolhouses  or  rooms  are  supplied  with  good  pictures.       Ap- 
propriations made  for  the  purchase  of  choice  pictures  are  good  edu- 
cational investments. 

The  general  provision  in  Section  (397)  which  empowers  the 
State  Text-Book  Commission  "to  select  and  adopt  maps,  charts, 
globes  and  other  apparatus"  should  be  repealed,  along  with  other 
provisions  of  Section  (397).  Such  materials  should  be  selected 
by  the  same  agencies  as  is  elsewhere  provided  in  this  report  for  the 
selection  of  free  text-books. 

CHANGES  IN  TAKING  OF  CENSUS  AND  IN  COMPULSORY 
ATTENDANCE  LAWS. 

(12)  The  following  changes  are  recommended: 

(a)  The  superintendent  of  schools  should  direct  and  the 

teachers  take  the  school  census. 

(b)  The  compulsory  attendance  law  should  apply  equally 
to    children  attending  non-public  schools. 

(c)  The  limiting  clause  of  Section  (240)  which  permits  chil- 
dren to  absent  themselves  one-third  of  the  time  the  school  is  in 
session  should  be  repealed,  and  "full  time"  attendance  should  be 
required. 

(d)  A  provision  should  be  added  to  Section  (253)  making 
it  mandatory  for  counties  of  52,000  population  or  more  to  provide  a 
county  home  for  dependent  white  boys. 

(e)  Section   (245)   and  Section   (248)    should  be  amended 
to  read  "Destitute  mothers  of  children  under  the  age  of  sixteen 
years ' '. 

(f)  The  minimum  age  for  compulsory    school     attendance 
should  be  reduced  from  eight  to  seven  years. 

(g)  All  non-public  schools  should  be  subject  to  inspection 
local  and  State  school  authorities,  and  should  be  required  to 

maintain  standards  for  teacher  preparation  and  certification,  courses 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  295 

of  study,  school  hygiene  and  sanitation,  and  attendance  requirements 
the  equivalent  of  standards  set  up  by  the  local  and  State  public 
school  authorities. 

THE  SCHOOL  CENSUS. 

Great  care  should  be  exercised  in  taking  the  census.  The  best 
practice  today  provides  for  the  taking  of  the  census  by  the  teach- 
ers under  the  direction  of  the  superintendent.  If  each  teacher  is 
apportioned  a  certain  number  of  blocks  in  her  own  immediate  school 
neighborhood  it  is  possible  to  get  an  absolute  check  upon  the  num- 
ber of  children  in  the  school  district.  It  should  be  made  mandatory 
upon  the  superintendent  and  teachers  to  take  the  census.  This 
will  give  a  competent  body,  rather  than  a  possibly  incompetent  in- 
dividual, who  has  no  interest  other  than  the  returns  for  his 
days  labor. 

Soon  after  the  beginning  of  the  school  year  the  census  record 
should  be  checked  with  the  enrollment.  The  attendance  officer 
should  visit  the  homes  where  there  are  children  unaccounted 
for. 

The  information  collected  concerning  each  individual  child 
should  be  placed  on  a  cumulative  record  card.  This  card  should 
show  residence,  name,  occupation  of  parents,  date  of  birth  of  child, 
sex,  nationality,  kind  and  grade  of  school  attended,  physical  dis- 
ability if  any,  name  and  address  of  employer  if  employed.  Such 
information  will  prove  invaluable  in  enforcing  the  compulsory  school 
law,  child  labor  law,  and  widows'  pension  law,  and  also  in  indicating 
the  growth  and  trend  of  population.  The  latter  will  aid  the  board 
of  education  materially  in  formulating  a  school  building  program. 
The  compulsory  attendance  law  should  apply  equally  to  children 
attending  non-public  schools. 

ATTENDANCE  LAWS. 

Directly  associated  with  the  school  census  is  the  problem  of 
attendance.  Section  (241)  requires  the  appointment  in  cities  or 
incorporated  towns  of  truancy  officers  by  the  board  of  education, 
and  in  school  districts  the  appointment  of  truancy  officer  by  county 
superintendent.  Attendance  in  city  school  systems  seems  to  be 
fairly  satisfactory  in  the  white  schools.  Attendance  officers  state, 
however,  that  the  provision  which  requires  (Section  240)  that  the 
child  be  compelled  to  attend  but  two-thirds  of  the  session  practical- 
ly nullifies  the  effective  administration  of  the  law. 


296  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

This  limiting  clause,  namely  the  two-thirds  proposition  in  the 
law,  should  be  repealed  immediately,  and  all  children  compelled 
to  attend  the  full  session  unless  physicall  or  mentally  incapacitated. 
This  should  apply  equally  to  white  and  colored  children  under  six- 
teen years  of  age. 

Section  (245)  and  Section  (248),  which  provide  for  the  aiding 
of  " Destitute  mothers"  should  be  amended  to  read  "Mothers  of 
children  under  sixteen  years".  There  is  a  gap  of  two  years  between 
the  age  fourteen,  as  stated  in  the  present  law,  and  sixteen  years,  pro- 
vided for  in  "Compulsory  Attendance  Law  and  Child  Labor  Law"> 
which  has  proved  to  be  the  cause  of  genuine  distress. 

CONCERNING  COUNTY  HOME. 

Section  (253)  provides  for  "A  County  Home  for  Dependent 
White  Boys"  in  any  county  having  a  population  of  52,000  in  1920. 
This  number  might  well  be  reduced  to  25,000  population,  and  pro- 
vision made  that  two  or  more  counties  may  jointly  carry  out  the 
provisions  of  the  Act.  In  counties  over  52,000  it  is  recommended 
that  the  act  be  made  mandatory. 

RETARDATION  AND  ELIMINATION  OF  PUPILS. 

(13)  The  following  recommendations  are  made  for  reducing 
retardation : 

(a)  Parents  should  be  urged  to  enter  children  at  the  earliest 
possible  legal  age. 

(b)  Kindergarten   should   be    established   wherever    school 
funds  permit  and  enrollment  justifies. 

(c)  Greater  care  should  be  taken  in  grading,  classifying, 
and  promoting  children. 

(d)  Homogenous  speed  grouping  should  begin  with  the  first 
grade  and  continue  throughout  the  system. 

(e)  Scientific  diagnostic  and  remedial  work  should  accom- 
pany homogeneous  speed  grouping. 

(f)  Medical  and  physical  supervision  should  be  provided 
for  all  children. 

(g)  Regular  attendance  in  the  primary  grades  should  be 
stressed  as  in  upper  grades. 

"Retardation  deals  with  the  over-age  or  retarded  children; 
those  who  are  older  than  they  should  be  for  the  grades  they  are  in. 
They  are  found  in  all  school  systems  but  are  by  no  means  equally 
common  in  all.  In  "normal  progression"  the  children  are  in  the 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  297 

proper  grades  for  their  ages.  "Acceleration"  is  applied  to  those 
pupils  who  are  under-age,  that  is,  who  are  younger  than  the  normal 
age  for  the  grade  in  which  they  are  placed.  Under  existing  condi- 
tions probably  about  25  per  cent  of  the  pupils  should  be  retarded, 
50  per  cent  should  progress  normally  and  25  per  cent  should 
be  accelerated. 

The  significance  of  over-age  does  not  lie  entirely  in  the  fact 
that  these  children  will  probably  leave  the  elementary  school  before 
they  complete  the  course,  but  lies  more  particularly  in  the  fact 
that,  while  they  do  remain  in  school,  the  instruction  received  will 
not  be  adapted  to  their  abilities.  Hence,  such  children,  on  the 
one  hand,  do  not  receive  the  full  benefits  from  the  instruction  given ; 
and,  on  the.  other  hand,  being  thus  improperly  classified,  they  are 
a  burden  to  the  teacher  and  prevent  her  from  giving  the  proper  at- 
tention to  the  other  members  of  the  class  in  which  these  over-age 
children  are  found.  Hence,  over-ageness  is  not  only  significant  for 
the  children  themselves  who  are  over-age,  but  becomes  significant 
for  all  members  of  the  school.  Moreover,  over-ageness  in  the  ele- 
mentary school  not  only  affects  the  work  of  the  school  but  affects 
the  number  of  children  going  to  high  school,  and  the  number  remain- 
Ing  to  complete  the  high  school  course. 

It  is  plainly  evident  that  over-ageness  is  a  distinct  economic 
loss  to  the  district.  Therefore,  measures  adopted  to  overcome  re- 
tradation  in  school  will  not  only  help  the  child,  but  will  also  tend 
to  relieve  the  district  of  additional  expense. 

The  data  furnished  the  Bureau  of  Education  by  certain  school 
systems  of  the  State  shows  that  29.9  per  cent  of  the  white  children 
in  the  cities  furnishing  the  data  are  retarded.  This  is  perhaps  bet- 
ter than  the  the  average  State.  A  careful  study  of  the  figures,  how- 
ever, shows  a  high  per  cent  of  over-age  pupils  in  the  4-5-6-7-8-9-years 
among  the  boys.  See  Table  32. 

DEFINITION  OF  SCHOOL  DISTRICTS. 

(14)  At  the  present  time  there  is  some  confusion  concerning 
the  definition  of  the  different  types  of  school  districts,  and  also 
concerning  the  application  of  various  laws  to  the  different  types. 
This  confusion  should  be  cleared  up  in  order  that  the  proper  admin- 
istration of  the  various  school  districts  may  be  facilitated. 


298  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

SCHOOL  HYGIENE  AND  HEALTH  EDUCATION. 
(15)  One  of  the  cardinal  principles  in  modern  education  is  the 
conservation  of  the  health  of  the  pupils  and  the  creating  of  a  health 
conscience.  That  is,  the  individual  pupil  should  think  not  only 
of  his  own  health  but  also  how  he  may  contribute  to  the  general 
community  health.  Children  should  be  taught  the  principles  of 
health  and  hygiene.  As  in  many  other  things,  the  home  quite  fre- 
quently throws  the  burden  on  the  school  and  the  school  should  ac- 
cept the  responsibility  and  opportunity. 

The  majority  of  the  city  schools  visited  are  giving  health  in- 
struction. The  children  are  weighed  and  heights  taken  at  frequent 
intervals.  Health  Clubs  have  been  formed  in  some  of  the  schools, 
and  in  a  few  definite  time  given  for  health  instruction.  It  is 
necessary  for  children  to  suppress  a  very  considerable  amount  of 
their  muscular  energy  when  in  the  classroom.  This  increases  ner- 
vous tension  and  strain.  One  of  the  ways  to  overcome  possible  bad 
effects  is  to  introduce  certain  physical  training  exercises  which  will 
relax,  strengthen,  and  recreate  the  child. 

Courses  in  physical  training  have  three  aims;  educational, 
hygienic,  and  recreational.  To  increase  vitality  and  produce 
strength  and  health  by  overcoming  unhygienic  conditions  in  the 
Fchoolroom,  such  as  bad  light,  impure  air,  and  poor  seating  facilities, 
should  be  the  hygienic  aim.  The  educational  aim  is  to  promote 
habits  of  quick  reaction  to  commands  and  to  train  in  obedience 
and  exactness.  The  recreational  aim  is  to  relax  the  mind  and 
body  of  the  child  by  participation  in  games. 

The  physical  training  program  of  the  cities  visited  is  not  as 
generous  as  it  should  be.  Health  will  be  more  valuable  to  the 
man  or  woman  of  the  future  than  Latin  or  Ancient  History.  If 
retrenchments  are  to  be  made,  the  health  department  should  not  be 
the  first  to  suffer  as  it  has  been  in  some  of  the  cities  visited.  In 
the  majority  not  nearly  enough  time  is  given  to  physical  training. 
Supervised  play  is  largely  carried  on,  if  at  all,  by  the  classroom 
teachers,  very  few  playground  supervisors  being  found.  The 
amount  of  playground  apparatus  is  insufficient  in  most  cases ;  how- 
ever, a  few  have  been  most  generously  supplied.  The  cities,  with- 
out exception,  have  provided  liberally  for  directed  athletics  such  as 
football,  baseball,  and  track,  which  is  highly  commendable. 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  299 

HELPFUL  SERVICE  OF  THE  SCHOOL  NURSE 
One  of  the  most  helpful  agents  in  promoting  health  in  the  public 
schools  is  the  school  nurse.'  By  inspecting  the  schools  frequently 
she  discovers  communicable  diseases  in  their  incipient  state  and 
thus  prevents  epidemics.  The  nurse  also  many  times  discovers  phy- 
sical abnormalities  unsuspected  by  the  parents  of  the  children.  The 
nurse's  work  is  not  only  corrective  and  remedial  but  also  educa- 
tional. Her  opportunities  for  furthering  the  health  of  the  boys  and 
girls  are  almost  limitless.  The  school  nurse  is  almost  an  indispen- 
sable factor  in  a  well  balanced  school.  A  few  of  the  cities  visited 
have  the  services  of  a  full  time  school  nurse.  Any  city  of  8,000 
people  should  have  a  full  time  school  nurse. 

Modern  discoveries  show  that  the  cause  of  many  ailments  may 
be  traced  directly  to  decayed  teeth.  The  school  should  supply  free 
dental  work  for  children  whose  parents  are  too  poor  to  pay  for 
the  work.  One  school  visited  does  the  work  free  for  all  the  chil- 
dren of  all  the  people. 

MEASUREMENTS 

(16)  The  splendid  work  in  educational  tests  and  measure- 
ments in  a  number  of  school  systems  should  be  encouraged  and  ex- 
tended, and  its  benefits  made  State-wide. 

Individuals  vary  greatly  in  mental  ability.  During  the  war 
psychological  tests  were  devised  for  the  testing  of  the  mental  cap- 
acity of  large  groups  of  men.  Adaptation  of  these  tests  are  quite 
generally  used  for  measuring  the  intelligence  of  pupils.  From  the 
data  obtained  pupils  may  be  grouped  according  to  their  abilities. 
It  is  an  axiom  in  modern  education  that  children  should  work  up 
to  their  normal  capacities.  If  they  are  doing  this  they  are  more 
apt  to  be  both  happy  and  good.  This  is  impossible  if  a  group  of 
children  vary  too  widely  in  their  intellectual  and  scholastic  abilities. 

Careful  and  frequent  mental  and  subject  matter  testing  is  nec- 
essary in  order  to  group  children  homogeneously  with  reference  to 
their  speed  abilities.  The  survey  staff  observed  with  admiration 
the  unusual  progress  made  in  many  of  the  cities  visited  in  modern 
scientific  method  of  determining  abilities.  In  fact,  certain  of  the 
cities  visited  appear  to  have  made  more  progress  in  the  application 
of  scientific  measurements  than  any  similar  group  of  cities  in  the 
United  States.  Economy  of  time  and  money  make  it  imperative 
that  all  school  officials  and  teachers  should  employ  standardized 
.and  mental  educational  tests  in  the  classification  of  children. 


300  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

TESTS  MADE  BY  OKLAHOMA  EDUCATORS  FOR  THE 

SURVEY. 

A  group  of  Oklahoma  educators  under  the  direction  of  Dean 
Phelan  of  the  University  of  Oklahoma,  and  Henry  D.  Rinsland,  of 
the  Ardmore  public  schools,  gave  a  series  of  tests  in  Spelling,  Arith- 
metic, Composition,  Handwriting,  Reading,  and  Algbera.  The  tests 
reveal  that  in  Spelling  (Ashbaugh  Spelling  Scale)  grades  three, 
four,  ten,  eleven,  and  twelve  are  average  or  above  in  Spelling ;  other 
grades  are  below  the  standard.  In  reading  (Haggerty  and  Thorn- 
dyke-McCall)  grades  one,  two,  three,  four,  five,  seven,  and  twelve 
are  standard  or  above ;  and  six,  eight,  nine,  ten,  and  eleven  are  be- 
low standard.  In  Handwriting  (Ayers  Scale)  grades  three  to  eight 
inclusive  are  all  above  standard  in  rate,  but  with  the  exception  of 
seven  all  fall  below  standard  in  quality.  In  English  Composition 
(Hudelson  Composition  Test)  all  grades  fall  below  standard.  In 
Arithmetic  (Courtis  Series  B),  with  the  exception  of  grade  three  in 
number  of  attempts  in  addition,  not  a  single  grade  from  one  to  eight 
inclusive  meet  the  standard  either  in  number  attempted  or  per  cent 
of  accuracy. 

In  Algebra  (Hotz  Algebra  Test)  series  A  (Addition  and  Sub- 
traction) and  series  A  (Equation  and  Formula)  in  no  case  do  grades 
nine,  ten,  eleven  and  twelve  equal  the  standard. 

A  summary  of  the  results  of  the  tests  will  be  found  in  Chapter 
XI. 

STATE  APPROVAL  OF  ALL  SCHOOL  HOUSE  CONSTRUCTION 

(17)  A  law  should  be  enacted  and  enforced  making  it  illegal 
for  any  school  board  to  erect  or  remodel  any  school  building  until 
the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  or  an  officer  dele- 
gated by  him,  has  certified  to  the  clerk  of  the  Board  in  writing  to 
the  effect  that  he  has  examined  and  approved  the  plans  and  speci- 
fications for  the  proposed  building  or  remodeling.  A  minimum 
amount  of  two  acres  of  ground  for  each  school  building  should  be 
required,  unless  for  reason  the  requirement  is  waived  by  the  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction.  The  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction  should  be  required  to  prepare  and  adopt  regu- 
lations fixing  certain  minimum  standards  for  school  buildings  and 
equipment,  and  covering  the  plans  and  specifications  of  the  same. 
Local  school  authorities  who  ignore  and  violate  these  standards, 
should  be  punishable  under  the  law.  An  excellent  law  on  this  sub- 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  301 

ject,  fostered  by  the  State  Department  of  Education,  has  been  ren- 
dered practically  null  and  void  by  failure  to  provide  a  suitable 
appropriation  for  enforcement. 

In  many  cases  the  unsatisfactory  conditions  observed  are  not 
confined  to  old  buildings.  Many  buildings  erected  within  the  past 
five  years  almost  totally  disregard  health  and  sanitation  standards. 
The  erection  of  such  buildings  should  be  made  illegal. 

Boards  of  Education  in  growing  communities  should  be  en- 
couraged to  lay  out  a  ten  to  twenty  year  building  program  for  the 
community.  Sites  should  be  purchased  as  long  as  possible  in  ad- 
vance of  the  time  when  they  will  be  needed.  School  systems  should 
not  be  allowed,  like  Topsy,  to  just  grow.  If  city  planning  is  pos- 
sible, city  school  system  planning  is  even  more  possible. 

Many  cities  in  Oklahoma  are  making  satisfactory  progress  in 
this  regard,  and  this  progress  is  to  be  commended  to  other  muni- 
cipalities. The  present  legislative  act  regarding  school  buildings 
covers  such  questions  as  the  following:  floor  space,  air  space  per 
pupil,  lighting,  heating  and  ventilating,  cloak  rooms,  out  houses, 
cleaning  and  disinfecting  schoolhouses,  book  of  plans,  etc.  Most  of 
the  school  buildings  in  the  cities  of  the  State  are  fairly  new,  modern, 
and  convenient  structures.  Unlike  other  States  in  the  Union,  there 
are  very  few  really  old  school  buildings  in  Oklahoma,  especially 
in  the  cities. 

A  STATE  SCHOOL  BUILDING  CODE. 
There  seems  to  be  no  marked  sentiment  among  school  offi- 
cials for  a  State  school  building  code.  In  fact,  most  superinten- 
dents and  board  members  interviewed  stated  that  they  had  gotten 
along  fairly  well  without  one,  and  they  were  at  a  loss  to  see  how  a 
State  school  building  code  would  help  them  very  much.  However, 
the  practice  in  other  States  seems  to  contradict  this  viewpoint. 

No  country  or  city  school  building  should  be  allowed  to  be 
erected  in  the  State  of  Oklahoma  that  does  not  meet  the  best  mod- 
ern standards  for  schoolhouse  construction.  A  State  school  build- 
ing code  should  give  to  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction 
the  power  to  approve  or  disapprove  every  school  building  ere.cted 
in  the  State.  The  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  might 
delegate  this  power  to  a  representative  officer  or  to  a  county  super- 
intendent or  city  superintendent. 

The  school  laws  state  specifically  these  requirements.  It  is 
probably  wiser  for  the  State  to  delegate  to  the  Superintendents  of 


302  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Public  Instruction  and  his  associates  the  problem  of  drafting  a  State 
school  building  code.  It  might  not  be  necessary  to  make  every 
phase  of  this  building  code  an  act  of  the  Legislature.  In  fact, 
standards  for  school  house  construction  change  so  rapidly  that  it  is 
probably  wiser  to  leave  the  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  a 
certain  latitude  in  the  matter,  as  in  Michigan. 

There  is  always  a  close  correlation  between  the  sanitation  of 
school  buildings  and  the  general  health  of  the  pupils.  Bad  light- 
ing, poor  ventilation,  unsanitary  toilets,  defective  heating  apparatus, 
unsatisfactory  drinking  fountains,  are  all  contributing  factors  to 
injurious  schoolroom  surroundings. 

In  standard  lighting  for  schoolrooms  the  light  should  come 
from  one  side  of  the  room,  and  the  window  area  should  be  one- 
fourth  of  floor  area.  More  than  half  of  the  buildings  visited  ap- 
proach this  standard.  Heating  facilities  are  excellent.  Toilet  facil- 
ities are,  as  a  rule,  ample,  but  in  some  cases  extremely  unsanitary 
because  of  neglect.  Fair  provision  is  made  for  furnishing  drinking 
water. 

SALARY  SCHEDULE  AND  PENSION  SYSTEM. 

(18)  The  training  equipment  and  ability  of  the  teachers  in 
the  city  schools  of  Oklahoma  rank  up  with  the  same  class  in  other 
cities  of  the  United  States.  At  present,  there  is  no  shortage  in  the 
supply  of  city  school  teachers.  This  applies  to  both  trained  and 
untrained  teachers.  In  fact,  too  much  has  been  said  about  the 
shortage  of  teachers  for  city  schools.  Teachers  gravitate  towards 
city  school  systems  from  all  other  types  of  schools. 

Consequently,  except  in  periods  of  industrial  inflation,  the  sup- 
ply exceeds  the  demand.  This  is  not  as  true  of  village  and  rural 
schools.  Village  and  rural  schools  are  the  training  schools  for 
future  city  school  teachers.  Apparently  it  would  be  perfectly  pos- 
sible for  every  city  in  Oklahoma  to  secure  Normal  School  graduates 
for  all  new  grade  school  vacancies.  It  might  be  necessary  to  increase 
the  salaries  in  order  to  secure  and  hold  normal  school  graduates. 

It  is  impossible  to  state  just  what  percentage  of  teachers  in 
Oklahoma  are  normal  trained  in  comparison  with  other  States  in 
the  Union.  It  would  appear  that  Oklahoma  ranks  about  average 
with  Middle  Western  States  in  the  matter  of  elementary  school 
teachers.  The  observers  were  able  to  find  but  few  teachers  who 
were  not  college  graduates  teaching  in  accredited  high  schools. 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  303 

In  small  high  schools,  of  from  one  to  four  teachers,  it  is  still  cus- 
tomary for  one  reason  or  another  to  employ  in  some  instances, 
undergraduates. 

The  big  problem  is  not  salaries  alone.  The  cost  of  living  and 
the  salary  schedules  in  Oklahoma  are  no  more  out  of  proportion  than 
in  other  States.  It  is  largely  a  question  of  what  the  cities  want.  If 
every  Superintendent  rigidly  observes  the  practice  of  employing, 
for  all  new  vacancies  in  the  elementary  school,  only  normal  school 
graduates,  and  only  college  graduates  in  high  school,  it  would  be 
but  a  short  time  before  Oklahoma  would  rank  with  Massachusetts 
in  the  qualifications  and  training  of  the  teachers. 

SALARIES  AND  CONTRACTS. 

(19)  Few  cities  in  Oklahoma  attempt  to  maintain  a  scientific- 
ally graded  salary  schedule.     The  few  attempts  are  commendable 
in  their  accomplishments.     However,  it  is  a  deplorable  fact  that 
teachers  must  migrate  from  job  to  job,  city  to  city,  and  State  to 
State,  in  order  to  advance  in  salary  and  position.    It  is  equally  de- 
plorable that  the  number  of  better  paid  positions  are  and  will  con- 
tinue to  be  relatively  few  in  comparison  to  the  number  of  class-room 
positions.    Consequently,  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  rather  sharp  dis- 
tinction between  the  executive,    administrative,    and    supervisory 
officers,  and  teachers. 

Among  the  classroom  teachers,  the  tendency  has  been  to  have 
two  and  sometimes  three  or  .more  types  of  salary  schedules.  One  of 
these  schedules  applies  to  high  school  teachers,  another  to  grade 
school  teachers,  and  another  to  special  teachers.  The  distinction  be- 
tween high  school,  grade  school,  and  special  teachers  should  be  as 
far  as  possible  removed.  This  may  be  accomplished  in  large  part 
by  basing  salaries  on  professional  qualifications,  as  suggested  else- 
where. 

TEACHERS'  PENSIONS  AND  OLD  AGE  ANNUITIES. 

(20)  The  Oklahoma. School  Law  on  teachers'  pensions  appar- 
ently is  a  failure.    There  is  a  law  on  the  statute  books,  but  there  is 
no   money  for  its   enforcement.     Furthermore,   the   law   itself  is 
scarcely  adequate.     Oklahoma  should  have  an  adequate  teachers' 
pension  law.     Careful  attention  should  be  given  to  this  important 
matter.    Of  the  hundred  odd  teachers'  pension  systems  in  the  United 
States,  less  than  fifteen  are  on  a  sound  actuarial  basis,  according 
to  Studensky,  who  has  made  a  special  study  of  the  subject* 

*Paul  Studensky:     Teachers'  Pension  Systems  in  the  United  States;    Apple- 
ton,  N.  Y.,  1920. 


304  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

About  thirty-two  States  maintain  teachers'  pension  systems, 
twenty-two  of  which  are  State-wide  systems.  The  present  period 
is  one  of  readjustment.  Nearly  all  of  the  State  pension  systems 
are  financially  unsound,  and  must  be  radically  reorganized  if  they 
are  to  continue  in  operation.  It  is  inevitable  that  Oklahoma  must 
face  this  problem.  A  commission  should  be  appointed,  authorized 
by  the  Legislature,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  investigating  and  report- 
ing to  the  Legislature  a  sound  State-wide  teachers  pension  and 
annuity  system. 

POWERS  AND  DUTIES  OF  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION. 

(21)  The  powers  and  duties  of  boards  of  education  should  be 
more  specifically  defined.  The  recommendations  on  this  point  re- 
sulting from  the  survey  of  the  public  schools  of  Wheeling,  West 
Virginia,  are  offered  as  suggestive.  In  the  limited  time  available 
this  Survey  could  not  attempt  to  make  detailed  studies  of  city  school 
systems  in  Oklahoma. 

The  present  law  governing  the  election,  term  of  office,  powers 
and  duties,  and  size  of  school  boards  is  similar  in  most  respects  to 
laws  in  other  States.  Every  city  of  the  first  class  and  every  incor- 
porated town  maintaining  an  accredited  four-year  high  school,  is  an 
independent  school  district.  The  Board  of  Education  consists  of 
one  member  from  each  ward  and  one  from  outlying  territory.  Each 
member  of  .the  Board  holds  office  for  four  years. 

In  independent  districts  other  than  cities  of  the  first  class,  the 
Board  is  composed  of  three  members  selected  by  the  district  at 
large.  Certain  cities  are  also  governed  by  charters  which  provide, 
in  some  instances,  for  the  election  of  the  Board  of  Education  by 
wards.  In  cities  of  a  population  of  more  than  50,000,  the  Board  of 
Education  is  composed  of  two  members  elected  from  each  ward,  pro- 
vided the  number  of  wards  does  not  exceed  five.  Women  are  qual- 
ified to  serve  on  Boards  of  Education  the  same  as  men.  In  cities  of 
less  than  5,000  population,  the  Board  of  Education  is  composed  of 
one  person  from  each  ward,  and  one  from  outlying  territory,  and 
if  there  is  no  outlying  territory,  a  member  must  be  elected  by  the 
city  at  large. 

COMMENDABLE  FEATURES. 

The  tenure  of  City  Boards  of  Education  is  four  years.  This  is 
in  accordance  with  approved  practice  elsewhere.  The  City  Boards 
are  not  large,  as  no  city  in  the  State  has  more  than  four  wards,  and 


VILLAGE  AND   CITY  SCHOOLS  305 

special  charters  do  not  provide  for  more  than  seven  members. 

(22)  AIL  Board  members  should  be  elected  from  the  district 
at  large.     The  election  of  school  Boards  from  city  wards  is  a  sur- 
vival of  the  early  district  school  control.     The  ward  system  of  rep- 
resentation perpetuates  personal  and  political  evils  in  school  con- 
trol.   Education  is  a  State  function.    Under  the  ward  system,  it  is 
a  matter  of  common  knowledge  that  persons  are  frequently  elected 
who  could  not  be  elected  from  the  district  at  large.     The  manage- 
ment of  a  school  system  is  not  a  political,  personal,  or  petty  job. 
The  very  best  men  and  women  are  needed  for  school  Board  members. 

SIZE  OF  BOARD. 

(23)  A  second  criticism  relates  to  the  number  of  members  con- 
stituting a  Board  of  Education.     In  Oklahoma  City  the  Board  has 
eight  members.    In  other  districts  in  the  State  the  Board  may  have 
as  few  as  three.    The  law  should  be  uniform  with  regard  to  the  size 
of  the  board. 

THE  RELATION  OF  THE  SUPERINTENDENT  TO  THE  BOARD 
SHOULD  BE  CLEARLY  DEFINED. 

(24)  The  law  fails  to  specify  the  distinction  between  the  pow- 
ers and  duties  of  the  Board,  and  the  powers  and  duties  of  the 
Superintendent  of  Schools,  who  is  selected  by  the  Board.    However, 
in  practice,  Boards  of  Education  tend  to  delegate  powers  and  duties 
to  the  Superintendent  of  schools  in  accordance  with  his  competency. 

Section  121  provides  that  Boards  of  Education  except  in  cities 
shall  elect  a  school  treasurer  who  is  not  a  member  of  the  Board.  In 
case  of  vacancy  in  the  treasurership,  the  Board  of  Education  may 
by  a  majority  vote,  elect  a  suitable  person  to  fill  the  unexpired  term. 
In  cities  of  the  first  class  the  treasurer  of  the  City  School  Board  is 
elected  each  two  years. 

It  is  difficult  to  understand  just  why  each  school  district  should 
elect  or  appoint  a  treasurer.  Is  it  impossible  for  the  County  Treas- 
urer or  City  Treasurer  to  serVe  in  this  capacity?  The  Board  of 
Education  should  at  least  have  the  power  to  appoint  a  Treasurer 
where  City  or  County  Treasurer  cannot  serve. 

LONGER  TENURE  FOR  SCHOOL  SUPERINTENDENTS. 

(25)  The  law  on  the  tenure  of  school  Superintendents  should 
be  amended  so  as  to  permit  a  Board  of  Education  to  contract  with 
a  Superintendent  for  a  period  of  three  to  five  years  by  a  majority 
vote. 


306  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

POWERS  AND  DUTIES  OF  SUPERINTENDENTS  AND 
OTHER  OFFICERS. 

(26)  The  powers  and  duties  of  superintendents  and  other  offi- 
cers should  be  specifically  defined.  For  suggestions  on  this  point, 
see  Appendix  A. 

The  law  provides  that  a  Board  of  Education  may  by  a  majority 
vote  elect  a  Superintendent  and  teachers  for  a  period  of  one  year. 
By  a  three-fourths  vote,  the  Board  may  elect  a  Sueprintendent  for 
a  period  not  to  exceed  three  years.  The  election  of  Superintendents 
for  three  years  is  a  commendable  feature  of  the  law,  but  a  majority 
vote  should  be  all  that  is  required.  Otherwise  a  minority  may  rule 
the  Board. 

One  thing  is  noticeable  for  its  absence.  The  Superintendent's 
powers  and  duties  are  not  defined.  Superintendents  should  be  given 
the  full  power  of  nominating  teachers.  The  selection  of  teachers 
is  a  professional  task.  It  requires  trained  expert  leadership.  In 
various  sections  of  the  State  it  was  observed  with  satisfaction  that 
the  tendency  everywhere  is  for  Boards  of  Education  to  delegate 
the  selection  of  teachers  to  the  Superintendent.  However,  com- 
plaints were  frequently  made  that  Boards  sometimes  permit  per- 
sonal, political,  or  religious  questions  to  interfere  with  the  Super- 
intendent's nominations.  Frequently,  also  Boards  originate  and 
dictate  the  nominations.  In  no  way  should  the  schools  be  made 
" local"  family  affairs,  or  used  for  local,  charitable,  political,  social, 
or  religious  purposes.  The  avoidance  of  this  can  be  best  attained 
by  giving  the  Superintendent  the  power  to  select  and  nominate 
teachers  and  all  other  educational  officers. 

The  Board  of  Education  should  consider  the  Superintendent 
of  Schools  as  its  chief  executive  officer.  The  Board  of  Directors 
of  a  hospital  selects  an  executive  officer  to  represent  it,  and  dele- 
gates to  this  executive  officer  the  power  to  select  his  staff.  The 
Board  of  Education  of  the  University  selects  a  President,  who  is 
highly  trained  in  his  profession,  and  then  delegates  to  this  man 
the  power  of  selecting  his  staff.  By  such  means  it  is  possible  for 
the  executive  officers  of  School  Boards  to  carry  out  educational 
policies  and  to  select  a  trained  personnel  in  sympathy  with  such 
policies. 

Potentially,  the  most  important  officer  in  the  employ  of  the 
people  in  any  community  is  the  Superintendent  of  Schools.  Actu- 
ally, the  condition  is  frequently  otherwise.  In  popular  estimation, 


VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS  307 

the  mayor  or  the  Chief  of  Police  or  the  Head  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment may  occupy  a  more  important  position,  but  "the  farreaching 
character  of  the  services  of  a  capable  and  energetic  school  Super- 
intendent, transcends  in  importance,  any  of  these." 

STATE  AID   FOR  STANDARD   PUBLIC   JUNIOR   COLLEGES, 

AND  STANDARD  JUNIOR  COLLEGE  COURSES  IN 

TEACHER  TRAINING. 

(27)  The  Survey  commends  the  Junior  Colleges  which  have 
been  established  in  a  few  cities,  and  the  desire  to  develop  standard 
one  and  two-year  college  courses  in  conjunction  with  other  city 
school  systems.  It  is  more  economical  to  train  college  Freshmen 
and  Sophomores  in  standard  public  junior  colleges  under  the  ad- 
ministration and  partial  support  of  local  school  units  than  it  is  to 
train  them  in  State  schools. 

The  arguments  for  public  junior  colleges  in  conjunction  with 
city  school  systems  are,  in  brief,  as  follows : 

(a)  Boys  and  girls  may  continue  their  education  while  re- 
maining at  home  for  one  or  two  years  longer. 

(b)  It  costs  the  State  less  money  per  pupil. 

(c)  It  costs  the  parents  less  money  per  pupil. 

(d)  If  proper  standards   are  maintained,  the  instruction  in 
city  junior  colleges  may  be  even  better  than  in  congested  freshmen 
and  sophomore  classes  in  higher  educational  institutions. 

(e)  The  rapid  growth  in  popularity  of  higher  education  is 
threatening  unduly  to  crowd  State  schools. 

(f)  Moreover,  State  schools  need  to  devote  to  advanced  and 
graduate  work  a  larger  proportion  of  their  resources  than  can  at 
present  be  devoted  to  such  training,  because  of  the  overcrowding 
of  freshman  and  sophomore  years. 

(g)  Appropriations  for  State  Schools  should  not  be  reduced 
or  impaired  when  city  junior  colleges  are  established. 

(h)  The  remarkable  growth  in  facilities  in  city  school  systems, 
such  as  well-equipped  libraries  and  laboratories,  makes  it  possible 
for  city  systems  to  establish  and  maintain  standard  junior  colleges 
with  a  minimum  amount  of  State  aid. 

(i)  The  training  of  teachers  for  elementary  schools  can,  on 
account  of  the  excellent  training  school  facilities  of  certain  city 
schools,  be  accomplished  with  less  expense  and  greater  convenience 
to  pupils,  in  standard  teacher  training  courses  in  city  junior  col- 
leges. 


308  EDUCATIONAL  TESTS  AND  MEASUREMENTS 

(j)  The  need  for  trained  elementary  teachers  can  never  be 
fully  met  by  the  largest  probable  development  of  State  schools 
alone.  This  is  especially  true  if  the  Survey  program  for  teacher 
training  for  1924  to  1934  is  followed. 

(k)  The  training  of  teachers  and  of  college  students  is  a 
function  of  the  State.  This  function  may  be  safely  delegated  to 
local  school  units  in  accordance  with  the  ability  of  such  units  to 
perform  such  training  in  accordance  with  well  established  standards. 

(1)  When  such  a  function  is  so  delegated,  State-aid  should 
accompany  the  delegation.  The  amount  and  conditions  under  which 
State-aid  is  granted  should  depend  upon  per  capita  of  cost  of  en- 
rollment and  the  amount  of  local  support  available. 

SCHOOLS  FOR  NEGROES. 

(28)  Schools  should  be  operated  on  the  same  basis,  and  main- 
tain the  same  standards,  as  white  schools,  and  they  should  be  under 
the  administration  and  support  of  the  Board  of  Education  of  each 
local  unit  with  a  population  of  2,500  or  over. 


CHAPTER  IX. 
EDUCATION  OF  INDIANS. 

The  education  of  the  children  of  the  Indians  in  Oklahoma  is 
one  of  the  important  educational  responsibilities  of  the  State  and 
National  Government.  The  crux  of  the  problem  is  the  proper  ad- 
justment of  educational  responsibility  between  the  State  of  Okla- 
homa and  the  United  States  Government.  That  one-third  of  all  the 
Indians  in  the  United  States  live  within  the  borders  of  this  State 
is  an  exceedingly  significant  fact  both  to  the  state  and  the  nation* 

PROBLEMS  OP  FAR-REACHING  SIGNIFICANCE. 

It  is  probable  that  the  policies  formulated  for  the  education 
of  Indians  in  the  public  schools  of  Oklahoma  will  largely  determine 
those  for  other  States.  The  variety  of  Indian  types  as  well  as  the 
wide  differences  in  the  economic  and  social  conditions  of  Indian 
groups  in  the  State  require  a  diversity  of  educational  methods  that 
will  doubtless-  suggest  practices  for  Indian  communities  in  other 
parts  of  the  country. 

Probably  the  consideration  most  vital  to  the  State  of  Oklahoma 
in  its  relation  to  the  education  of  the  Indians  arises  from  the  wide 
distribution  of  the  Indian  people  throughout  the  State  with  their 
extensive  areas  of  non-taxable  land,  some  parts  of  which  have  fer- 
tile soil  while  others  are  rich  in  oil  and  minerals.  The  estimated 
amount  of  non-taxable  land  and  the  Indian  population  are  distribut- 
ed through  66  of  the  77  counties.  Such  a  distribution  of  people 
and  property  requires  the  serious  thought  of  the  people  of  Okla- 
homa and  the  co-operation  of  the  United  States  Government  with  its 
special  and  legal  responsibility  for  the  Indian  people. 

The  factors  to  be  considered  in  formulating  policies  for  Indian 
education  are  first,  the  economic,  hygienic,  and  tribal  conditions 
of  the  Indians;  second,  the  enumeration  and  enrollment  of  Indian 
youth  of  school  age,  and  the  school  facilities  now  available  for  the 
Indians;  third,  the  financial  support  of  Indian  education,  and  the1 
relation  of  this  support  to  the  extensive  areas  of  the  non-taxable 
land  in  Oklahoma;  fourth,  the  principles  and  methods  of  Indian 

309 


310  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

education  during  the  transition  of  Indian  youth  from  the  boarding 
and  day  schools  of  the  United  States  Indian  Bureau  to  the  public 
school  system  of  the  State;  and  fifth,  recommendations  concerning 
the  education  of  Indians  in  Oklahoma. 

HOME,  FAMILY  AND  TRIBAL  CONDITIONS. 

According  to  the  last  census,  the  number  of  Indians  in  the 
State  of  Oklahoma  was  59,000.  According  to  the  Indian  bureau, 
the  number  is  now  120,000.  This  discrepancy  is  explained  by  the  fact 
that  the  census  enumeration  was  based  on  the  classification  of  a 
person  as  Indian  whose  appearance  indicated  that  race,  while  the 
enumeration  of  the  Indian  bureau  is  based  on  records  of  blood  re- 
lationship and  includes  persons  of  all  degrees  of  Indian  mixture. 
These  facts  indicate  that  the  full  blood  Indian  is  decreasing  in  num- 
ber because  he  is  gradually  becoming  absorbed  into  the  general  pop- 
ulation in  the  country,  although  statistics  prove  that  the  number 
of  those  having  Indian  blood  is  increasing. 

It  is  not  strange  that  there  is  much  vague  and  confused  think- 
ing in  regard  to  these  120,000  Indian  people  of  Oklahoma,  for  the 
current  expressions  used  to  describe  them  have  a  connotation  as 
widely  varying  as  the  experiences  of  those  who  occasionally  see  an 
Indian  man  or  woman ;  those  who  have  taught  the  Indian  boys  and 
girls  in  the  schools;  and  those  who  have  lived  in  Indian  commun- 
ities year  after  year.  The  very  term,  "Five  Civilized  Tribes/'  used 
to  designate  the  Cherokees,  Choctaws,  Creeks,  Seminoles  and  Chick- 
asaws  is  a  source  of  pride  to  these  people  of  the  old  Indian  Terri- 
tory, and  of  irritation  to  the  so-called  "blanket"  or  "Western" 
Indians  whose  living  conditions  equal  and  often  surpass  those  of  the 
"Five  Tribes." 

BETTER  UNDERSTANDING  OF  CONDITIONS  NEEDED. 

The  term,  "wealthy  Indian,"  so  often  thought  to  apply  to  all 
Oklahoma  Indians,  does  not  suggest  the  fact  that  only  a  few  de- 
rive incomes  from  oil,  but  the  majority  are  dependent  upon  land 
leases  and  the  farming  of  their  own  lands,  or  struggle  for  existence 
either  back  in  the  hills  of  eastern  Oklahoma  or  in  tents  near  some 
stream  of  western  Oklahoma. 

Between  the  ideas  that  either  all  or  none  of  the  Indians  of 
Oklahoma  are  educated,  is  the  fact  that  illiteracy  is  constantly  de- 
creasing, due  to  education  in  government,  public,  and  private 


EDUCATION  OF  INDIANS  311 

schools,  travel,  contact  with  white  persons,  and  the  deaths  ®f  the 
old.  Comparatively  few  Indian  children,  however,  go  beyond  the 
8th  grade,  although  that  number  is  now  increasing. 

The  Indian  people  of  four  of  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  namely 
Cherokee,  Choctaw,  Chickasaw  and  Creek,  show  most  of  the  stages 
of  development  in  the  transition  from  the  primitive  life  of  the  past 
to  the  most  highly  developed  social  life  of  the  white  American,  just 
as  they  show  varying  amounts  of  Indian  inheritance  from  full-blood 
to  1-32  or  1-64.  There  are,  however,  three  distinct  groups  among 
these  tribes,  those  living  in  towns,  those  in  the  country  districts, 
and  those  away  from  the  lines  of  travel,  in  the  distant  hills. 

The  majority  of  the  Indian  people  in  the  first  group  live  in  the 
towns  and  send  their  children  to  town  or  boarding  schools.  The 
junior  colleges,  in  nearby  States,  are  popular  with  the  more  ad- 
vanced young  people  of  this  group.  Their  homes  vary,  as  do 
those  of  their  white  neighbors,  and  compare  favorably  with  them. 
Some  in  this  group  are  leaders  in  their  communities  and  a  goodly 
number  hold  positions  of  responsibility. 

The  second  group  in  eastern  Oklahoma  includes  many  full 
bloods  and  many  of  mixed  blood.  Their  homes  are  usual!}"  two, 
three,  or  four  room  frame  or  log  houses  in  the  country,  not  especial- 
ly well  kept.  As  a  rule,  however,  the  untidiness  is  that  of  disorder 
rather  than  dirt.  A  friendly  neighbor  or  sympathetic  visitor  with 
higher  ideals  can  wield  a  great  influence  for  higher  standards.  The 
children  are  usually  in  boarding  or  district  schools,  and  the  parents 
are  eager  for  their  advancement,  although  this  does  not  prevent 
their  frequently  taking  the  children  from  school  for  various  unim- 
portant reasons.  Neither  does  it  prevent  laxness  in  discipline. 

The  third  and  last  of  these  three  groups,  full  blood  or  nearly 
so,  is  not  more  advanced  than  many  of  the  so-called  pagan  Indian 
people  who  have  always  lived  far  from  the  paths  of  civilization. 

Table  45,  based  on  the  findings  from  the  Government  Health 
Drive  among  the  Indian  people  of  the  Five  Tribes,  shows  that  situ- 
ation among  the  approximately  30,000  full  blood  people  of  these 
tribes,  and  indicates  the  necessity  for  careful  attention  and  action. 

The  homes  of  this  full  blood  group  are  one,  two  or  three  room 
frame  or  log  houses  back  in  the  hills.  There  is  little  furniture  ex- 
cept beds  in  these  houses,  and  among  the  Cherokees  only  does  the 
custom  prevail  to  any  extent  of  sunning  the  bedding.  The  common 


312 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


TABLE  45.— CONDITIONS   AMONG   THE   FIVE   TRIBES. 


Five  Tribes 

Cherokee 

Choctaw 

Creek 

Seminole 

Chickasaw 

Number  of 
members  by 
blood 

36,432 

17,488 

11,592 

2,141 

5,659 

Approxi- 
mate num- 
ber of  full 
bloods 

9,000 

8,000 

8,000 

1,300 

2,000 

Situation 
of 
homes 

Back  in  hills 
inaccessible 
places 

Prefer  inac- 
cessible 
places 

In    country 
and  hills 

Back  in 
country 

In    country 
and  towns 

Condition 
of 
homes 

Log  houses 
usually    2 
rooms  poor- 
ly ventilated 
Dvercrowded 

Box  house 
or  shack 
with  fire- 
place 

Log:  and 
frame 
houses 

Log  and 
frame 
houses 

Some    neat 
log  houses 
majority 
frame 

Condition 
of 
farm 

Small 
patches  of 
corn.     Few 
horses,  some 
poultry,  few 
cows,  hogs 

Similar 
to 
Cherokees 

(Milk  is 

Chickens 
and 
Turkeys 

used     as     a 

Similar 
to 
Creeks 

food  in  few 

Some    corn 
and  oats, 
chickens 
hogs 

families) 

Health 

Tuberculo- 
sis  common 
Trachoma 
widespread 
Some  With 
cocaine 
habit 

Tuberculo- 
sis very 
common. 
Trachoma 
widespread. 
Use  of 
whiskey 
near  Arkan- 
sas   border 

Trachoma  ' 
prevalent 
Some 
syphilis 

Similar 
to 
Creeks 

Tuberculo- 
sis  less 
common. 
Best  health 
conditions 
in    5    tribes. 

drinking  cup  and  the  common  towel  are  used  not  only  in  the  home, 
but  at  the  large  camp  gatherings.  Tuberculosis  presents  the  great- 
est menace  because  of  the  large  number  of  families  infected,  con- 
stant visiting  and  gathering  in  groups,  insanitary  habits,  and  ig- 
norance of  the  cause  and  spread  of  disease  through  insects,  especi- 
ally the  fly  and  mosquito. 

Marriage  of  near  relatives  appears  to  be  responsible  for  most 
of  the  cases  of  epilepsy.  Trachoma  is  wide-spread.  The  use  of  to- 
bacco either  as  snuff,  or  in  chewing  or  smoking,  is  a  habit  with  all 
ages  and  both  sexes.  The  native  "medicine  man"  is  frequently  in 
evidence.  The  best  known  of  these  in  the  Choctaw  nation,  consult- 
ed at  times  by  whites  as  well  as  by  the  Indian  people  has  a  home 
of  five  rooms.  It  is  in  bad  repair,  without  windows,  and  infested 
with  vermin. 


EDUCATION   OF  INDIANS  313 

Some  homes,  especially  among  the  Chickasaw  people,  have 
small  patches  of  corn  or  oats.  There  are  some  cows,  although  milk 
is  used  as  a  food  in  few  families,  and  the  chickens  and  pigs  are 
carried  along  with  the  family  to  the  various  camp  meetings  and 
Indian  dances,  or  allowed  to  wander  around  until  the  family's  re- 
turn. 

Attempts  made  by  the  returned  students  to  improve  the  condi- 
tions of  these  dwelling  places  are  thwarted  by  lack  of  encourage- 
ment and  the  lack  of  material  with  which  to  work.  Naturally  these 
attempts  soon  cease  and  the  family  lives  to  eat,  sleep,  and  look  for- 
ward to  the  Indian  gathering  in  the  summer — the  lt stomp"  dance 
and  others,  which  draw  a  large  crowd  of  curious  whites,  many  of 
whom  profit  in  the  sale  of  soft  drinks  and  small  wares.  Frequently 
to  these  dances  come  some  of  the  more  advanced  Indian  people 
whose  opportunity  for  healthy  recreation  is  slight. 

The  children  of  this  third  group  are  timid  in  the  presence  of 
white  children,  and  go  to  neither  public  nor  government  schools 
except  under  compulsion.  They  are  often  undesirable  in  public 
schools  because  of  the  previously  mentioned  diseases  which  follow 
lack  of  cleanliness.  The  extreme  distance  from  public  school  and 
the  danger  of  creeks  that  must  be  crossed  make  regular  public 
school  attendance  difficult  or  impossible. 

It  may  be  said  in  the  favor  of  this  group  that  their  condition 
of  living  is  not  so  much  lower  than  that  of  their  white  neighbors. 
In  the  Chickasaw  and  parts  of  the  Choctaw  country,  ifc  equals  or 
surpasses  the  manner  of  living  of  the  tenants  who  occupy  the  larg- 
er house  on  the  Indian  farm. 

The  Seminole  Indian  people,  although  one  of  the  "Five  Tribes" 
have  only  two  social  groups,  the  last  two  mentioned  above.  They 
seldom  dwell  in  town  and  have  not  advanced  to  the  standards  of 
living  comparable  with  those  of  the  average  small  town. 

In  the  remainder  of  the  State,  class  distinctions  among  the 
Indians  are  vague  and  unimportant.  Those  who  live  in  houses,  who 
farm  their  own  land  and  are  careful  to  see  to  it  that  their  children 
are  in  public  or  government  boarding  school,  feel  some  little  super- 
iority over  those  who  still  camp,  who  take  no  pride  in  domestic 
activities,  and  are  markedly  careless  in  the  care  of  the  children. 

The  use  of  peyote  is  one  of  the  greatest  factors  hindering  the 
more  rapid  development  of  the  Indian  people  of  this  group.  The 


314  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

better  conditions  in  the  homes  of  the  Indian  people  of  the  western 
group  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  presence  of  missionaries  and 
better  government  help  through  field  matrons  and  government 
farmers,  for  supervision  in  the  west  has  been  much  closer  than  in 
the  east. 

SOME  FACTS  CONCERNING  THE  CHILDREN. 
In  order  to  have  some  estimate  of  the  number  of  Indian  chil- 
dren now  in  boarding  schools  who  should  possibly  be  in  public 
schools,  a  study  was  made  of  the  homes  of  the  pupils  in  three  of  the 
largest  government  boarding  schools  in  western  Oklahoma  and 
three  of  the  Tribal  schools  of  eastern  Oklahoma  with  the  following 
points  in  view : 

(1)  To  find  the  number  of  Indian  children  now  in  boarding 
schools  who  should  continue  there. 

(2)  To  find  the  number  of  children  now  in  boarding  schools 
who  might  be  placed  in  public  schools  if  provided  with  the  assist- 
ance of  a  Home  and  School  Visitor  or  Field  matron  to  act  as  inter- 
preter of  the  child  to  the  public  school  and  of  the  school  to  the 
home  of  the  child. 

(3)  To  discover  the  number  of  Indian  children  now  in  board- 
ing schools  whose  home  conditions  are  such  that  they  can  be  in 
available  public  schools. 

Table  46  discloses  the  results : 

TABLE  46 
NUMBER  OF  INDIAN  CHILDREN  RECOMMENDED 

Eastern  Oklahoma. 

For            For  Public  For  Public         Total 

Boarding     School  with  School  without 

School      help  of  school  school 

visitor  visitor 

School  1                        34                   30  19                    83 

Scohol  2                       87                    12  9                  108 

School  3                        67                    18  18                  103 

Total                         188                    60  46                  294 

Western  Oklahoma. 

School  1                        85                      8  5                    98 

School  2          73        33  106 

School  3          60        30  10       100 

Total          218        71  15       304 

Grand  Total     406       131  61       598 


EDUCATION   OP  INDIANS  315 

The  following  conclusions  can  be  deduced:  (1)  Of  the  598 
children  on  whose  home  conditions  information  could  be  gained, 
406  should  continue  in  boarding  schools;  (2)  131  might  be  trans- 
ferred to  public  schools  if  provided  with  the  help  of  a  Home  and 
School  Visitor;  (3)  61,  only  15  of  whom  are  from  the  western 
district,  might  now  be  in  public  schools. 

The  following  conditions  make  attendance  of  the  majority  of 
the  pupils  in  boarding  schools  either  desirable  or  necessary. 
Financial  inability  to  pay  tuition  in  public  schools;  distance 
from  public  school,  (three  or  more  miles  and  difficulties  of  travel 
where  the  distances  are  less)  ;  lack  of  home  because  of  death,  im- 
morality, separation,  and  wandering  propensities  of  parents  or 
cruelty  of  step-parents;  insanitary  home  conditions  and  disease. 

DIFFICULTIES  TO  BE  OVERCOME. 

The  following  statements  from  the  Government  Health  Drive 
records  throw  additional  light  on  the  need  of  boarding  schools  for 
Indian  children,  or  a  radical  change  in  the  public  school  system: 

(1)  "Many  Indian  children  14  or  15  years  of  age  are  in  the 
1st  and  2nd  grade. " 

(2)  "Indian  children  in  public  schools  do  not  always  receive 
proper  consideration  from  white  pupils  and  teachers.*' 

(3)  "Indian  children  enrolled  in  public  schools1  attend  so  ir- 
regularly that  they  receive  little  benefit. " 

(4)  "The  length  of  the  school  year  in  public  schools  is  short- 
ened because  of  the  necessity  for  using  the  children  in  the  cotton 
fields." 

(5)  "In  the  country  schools  of  Oklahoma,  hygiene  and  sani- 
tation are  not  taught  until  the  8th  grade,  which  is  reached  only  by 
a  few  of  the  Indian  children  most  in  need  of  this  information." 

ENUMERATION,  ENROLLMENT  AND  SCHOOL  FACILITIES. 

Table  47,  showing  enumeration,  enrollment  and  school  facilities 
for  Indian  youth  in  Oklahoma  is  based  upon  facts  supplied  by  the 
United  States  Indian  bureau  for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1922. 
The  facts  are  grouped  for  each  of  the  Five  Tribes  in  Eastern  Okla- 
homa and  for  the  seven  reservations  or  tribal  groups  of  Western 
Oklahoma.  To  those  unfamiliar  with  the  tribal  distribution  for  the 
State,  it  is  necessary  to  give  the  following  facts : 


316 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


(1)  The  Five   Civilized  Tribes   are   distributed  through   the 
forty  counties  of  Eastern  Oklahoma.     The  official  reports  of  the 
Superintendent  for  those  tribes  give  the  counties  in  which  each 
tribe  holds  lands.     The  Cherokee  Nation  lives  in  various  sections 
of  the  ten  counties  in  Northeastern  Oklahoma;  the  Choctaws  are 
in  the  ten  Southeastern  counties  of  the  State ;  the  Creeks  are  in  the 
ten  counties  southwest  of  the  Cherokees;  the  Chickasaws  are  im- 
mediately west  of  the  Choctaws ;  and  the  Seminoles  are  in  Seminole 
county,  between  the  counties  occupied  by  the  Creeks  and  the  Chick- 
asaws. 

(2)  The  Western  Oklahoma  Indians  occupy  twenty-six  coun- 
ties in  the  middle  and  western  part  of  the  State.     They  are  divided 
into  seven  groups  including  nine  agencies  and  portions  of  twenty- 
five  tribes. 


TABLE  47.— ENUMERATION,  ENROLLMENT,  AND  SCHOOL  FACILITIES 
FOR  INDIAN  YOUTH  IN  OKLAHOMA. 


Public 
Schools 

Enrollment  in  Schools 
Supported  by  Govern- 
ment or  Indian            g  m 
Moneys 

r* 

Total  enrollment 

| 

o 
w 

o 

Scholastic 
Enumeration 

June  30,  1922 

Enrollment 

Per  cent 
attendance 

Government 
Schools 

Tribal 
Schools 

!->     O              _ 

o  'S        "o 
O  W        H 

Enrollmei 
other  sch 

Cherokee 
Creek 
Choctaw 
Chickasaw 
Seminole 

10,318 
2,568 
3,680 
2f,031 
167 

66.1 
57.5 
61.7 
64.2 
40.0 

322 
87 
178 
29 
17 

179 
390 
230 
151 

158 

501 
477 
336      744 
106      286 
175 

250 
27 

11,069 
3,072 
4,424 
2,317 
342 

1,545 
1,276 
429 
970 
278 

12,614 

4,348 
4,853 
3,287 
620 

Total 
Five   Tribes 

18,764 

63.2 

633 

1,108 

442  2,183 

277 

21,224 

4,498 

25,722 

Cheyenne  & 
Arapaho 
Kiowa 
Osage 
Pawnee 
Ponca 
Seneca 
Shawnee 

254 
738 
532 
90 
206 
386 
275 

75 

78 

349 
507 
82 
112 
123 
64 
164 

349 

10 
42 
166 

10 
31 
59 

613 
1,287 
780 
202 
339 
481 
498 

211 
319 
73 
50 
86 
131 
6 

82'4 
1,606 
853 
252 
425 
612 
504 



507 

82 

112 

123 
64 
164 

Total 

West  Side 

2,481 

76.5 

1,401 



1,401 

318 

4,200 

876 

5,076 

Total  for 
State 

21,245 

2,034 

1,108 

442   3,584 

595 

25,424 

5,374 

30,798 

EDUCATION   OF  INDIANS  317 

The  significant  facts  shown  in  Table  47  are  as  follows: 

(1)  The  number  of  Indian  youths  of  school  age  (6  to  21)  is 
30,798. 

(2)  The  number  enrolled  in  public,  government  and  mission 
schools  is  25,424.     The  apparently  favorable  significance   of  this 
figure  is  greatly  diminished  by  the  fact  that  the  attendance  for 
most  of  the  large  groups  is  only  about  60  per  cent. 

(3)  Twenty-one  thousand  two  hundred  forty-five  (21,245)  In- 
dians, forming  84  per  cent  of  the  Indian  school  enrollment,  are  al- 
ready in  public  schools*.     Owing  to  the  irregularity  of  attendance, 
short  school  terms,  and  the  low  efficiency  of  many  of  the  rural 
schools,  the  educational  value  of  the  public  school  enrollment  is  ser- 
iously diminished. 

(4)  Only  3,584  Indians,  or  14  per  cent  of  the  Indian  school 
enrollment,  are  in  government  and  tribal  schools.       This  compara- 
tively small  proportion  by  no  means1  represents  the  influence  of  the 
government  schools  on  Indian  education.     The  government  institu- 
tions, of  which  there  are  18  boarding  schools  and  one  small  day 
school,  are  well  managed  and  effective  in  the  activities  of  their 
program.       They  are  far  superior  to  the  public  rural  schools  in 
equipment,  staff,  organization  and  management. 

The  boarding  schools  train  the  boys  and  girls  along  many 
lines,  including  not  only  the  usual  classroom  subjects1,  but  also  the 
simple  elements  of  mechanical  and  agricultural  operations,  cooking 
and  sewing,  healthful  recreations,  habits  of  punctuality  and  indus- 
try. School  life  in  the  dormitory,  dining  room,  classroom,  field, 
shop  and  playground  in  close  association  with  the  teaching  staff 
has  a  very  pronounced  educational  effect  upon  the  pupils. 

Their  plants  are  impressive  in  quality  and  size  of  buildings, 
extensive  acerage  of  land,  and  agricultural  equipment.  The  large 
size  of  the  plants  are  in  some  instances  in  contrast  with  the  compara- 
tively small  number  and  low  ages  of  the  children. 

The  following  facts  concerning  the  pupils  enrolled  in  the  gov- 
ernment schools  are  both  significant  and  interesting: 

(1)  Classification  of  the  pupils  according  to  grade  shows  that 
89  per  cent  are  in  grades  1  to  6  inclusive ;  9  per  cent  in  grades  7  to 
8 ;  and  only  2  per  cent  above  the  8th  grade. 

(2)  The  age  classification  indicates  that  29  per  cent  are  10 
years  of  age  or  under;  47  per  cent  are  11  to  15  years  inclusive;  19 


318  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

per  cent  are  16  to  18  inclusive ;  and  5  per  cent  are  over  1.8  years  of 
age. 

(3)  According  to  proportion  of  Indian  blood,  the  full  blood 
Indians  are  71  per  cent;  the  1-2  to  3-4  bloods  are  24  per  cent;  and 
1-4  blood  are  only  5  per  cent. 

FINANCIAL  SUPPORT. 

The  study  fo  the  financial  support  of  education  for  Indians  in 
Oklahoma  involves  a  consideration  of  appropriations  made  by  Con- 
gress for  Indian  education,  the  school  expenditures  from  tribal 
funds,  public  school  taxes,  and  the  loss  of  income  to  the  State  on 
account  of  the  extensive  areas  of  non-taxable  lands  in  the  State. 

The  reports  of  the  United  States  Indian  bureau  present  accur- 
ate statements  of  expenditures  for  schools  supported  from  congres- 
sional appropriation  and  tribal  funds.  In  view  of  the  compara- 
tively small  number  of  private  and  mission  schools  their  expendi- 
tures have  not  been  included. 

Comparison  of  United  States  Government  appropriations  and 
tribal  fund  payments  for  Indian  education  with  the  amount  of  po- 
tential taxes  which  might  be  levied  on  the  non-taxable  Indian  lands 
gives  some  indication  of  money  now  available  as  well  as  the  future 
financial  possibilities  for  Indian  education.  The  following  items 
list  the  various  sums  expended  by  the  United  States  Government 
and  from  the  Tribal  Funds  for  the  education  of  Indians  in  Oklahoma 
during  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1922 : 

United  States  Gratuity  appropriations: 

1.  Tuition  and  aid  for  public 
schools  among  the  Five 

Civilized  Tribes $175,000.00 

2.  Public  school  tuition 

in  Western  Oklahoma 22,932.12 

Total  Public  School  Support $197,932.12 

3.  Support  of  Indian  Children  in 
U.  S.  Indian  schools,  from 

(a)  Five  Civilized  Tribes 120,000.00 

(b)  Western  Oklahoma 252,000.00 

Total  expenditures  U.  S. 

Indian  Schools 372,000.00 


EDUCATION   OF  INDIANS  319 

Payments  from  Tribal  Funds: 

1.  Support  Tribal  Schools 242,800.50 

2.  Contract  schools  among 

Five  Tribes 41,997.64 

Total  expenditures  tribal  funds 284,798.14 

Total  all  government  and  tribal 

funds $854.730.26 

The  potential  taxes  on  untaxed  lands  can  only  be  estimated  on 
the  basis  of  reports  obtained  from  county  tax  assessors  and  officers 
of  the  United  States  Indian  Bureau.  The  estimates  relating  to  the 
taxation  of  untaxable  lands  are  as  follows :  (For  additional  fig- 
ures, see  Appendix  B). 

(1)  Number  of  acres  of  untaxable  land 7,000,000 

(2)  Average  value  per  acre  of  untaxable  land  (1922) $18.33 

(3)  Average  rate  of  school  taxation  (1922) 10  mills 

(4)  Taxable  value  of  7,000,000  acres  at  $18.33  per  acre_$128,300.000 

(5)  Potential  tax  at  10  mills $     1,283,000 

Comparison  of  Potential  Tax  and  United  States  Government 

Expenditures  for  Indian  education : 

Potential  Tax $1,283,000 

Appropriations  from  U.  S.  Government 

and  Tribal  Funds..  855,000 


$   428,000 

The  difference  between  these  two  figures  amounting  to  $428,- 
000.00  is  the  present  loss  to  the  State  because  of  non-taxable  Indian 
lands,  and  this  difference  added  to  the  amounts  now  expended  by 
the  government  from  Congressional  appropriations  and  tribal  funds 
equals  the  sum  that  will  become  available  for  the  support  of  public 
schools  when  the  trust  period  expires. 

Extensions  of  the  trust  period  have  already  been  ordered  by 
Congress  in  a  number  of  Indian  Reservations.  The  status  of  the 
Trust  Periods  is  shown  in  the  following  statements: 

(1)  It  is  estimated  that  five  and  two-thirds  million  acres*  of 
the  land  owned  by  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes  in  the  40  counties  of 
Eastern  Oklahoma  will  not  be  taxed  until  1931. 

(2)  The  trust  periods  of  the  tribes  in  Western  Oklahoma  with 
a  total  of  one  and  one-third  million  acres  end  at  varying  times  rang- 


320  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

ing  from  1924  to  1946.      The  trust  period  has  been  extended  beyond 
1927  for  only  a  small  acreage. 

The  responsibility  now  confronting  those  concerned  with  Indian 
education  is  to  make  available  such  portions  of  the  $428,000  poten- 
tial tax^  as  are  needed  to  improve  the  educational  methods  and  fa- 
cilities of  schools  for  Indians.  So  long  as  the  Trust  Periods  exclude 
land  from  State  taxation,  this  responsibility  rests  largely  on  the 
Federal  Government  working  through  the  Indian  Bureau. 

INCREASED  FEDERAL  AID  FOR  INDIAN  EDUCATION 
SHOULD  BE  SOUGHT. 

It  is  evident  that  the  United  States  Government  should  adopt  a 
policy  of  liberal  support  for  all  educational  movements  providing 
for  the  preparation  of  the  Indian  youth  to  enter  the  public  school 
system  so  that  the  transfer  may  be  made  with  the  least  possible 
friction  or  injustice  to  the  Indians.  For  the  large  population  of 
Eastern  Oklahoma  this  period  of  transfer  is  ten  years ;  for  Western 
Oklahoma  about  five  years. 

The  economic,  hygienic,  and  tribal  conditions  of  many  Indians 
indicate  the  importance  of  educational  activities  specially  adapted 
to  correct  the  unfavorable  conditions  of  health  and  morale.  In 
view  of  the  comparatively  brief  time  when  the  Indian  youth  must 
take  their  place  alongside  of  the  other  youth  of  the  State,  it  is 
urged  that  serious  consideration  shall  be  given  to  the  principles  and 
methods  of  education  for  the  period  of  transition  to  the  public 
schools  of  the  State. 

These  principles  and  methods  are  discussed  in  the  following 
paragraphs,  and  summarized  in  the  Recommendations.  It  must  be 
emphasized  in  connection  with  this  discussion  of  the  financial  sup- 
port of  Indian  education,  and  the  termination  of  the  non-taxation 
period  when  all  responsibility  will  be  transferred  to  the  State,  that 
the  State  system  of  education  has  but  a  comparatively  brief  time 
for  the  preparation  of  its  school  facilities  and  especially  those  in 
rural  districts  to  assume  this  important  responsibility. 

TRANSITION  PERIOD  FROM 
U.  S.  GOVERNMENT  SCHOOLS  TO  THE  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS. 

The  history  of  the  Indian  People  in  America  shows  that  they 
are  being  gradually  merged  into  the  general  population  of  the  coun- 
try. The  policy  of  U.  S.  Indian  Bureau  is  in  accord  with  the  general 


EDUCATION   OP  INDIANS  321 

tendency  of  Indian  life.  Indians  in  many  States  have  already  been 
taken  into  the  public  school  system.  For  instance  the  Indian  youth 
of  the  Crow  Agency  in  Montana  were  last  year  taken  over  into  the 
public  school  system  to  the  general  satisfaction  of  all  concerned. 

The  principal  parties  concerned  in  this  transition  period  are  the 
U.  S.  Government  schools  and  the  public  school  system.  Sound  ed- 
ucational policy  requires  that  the  responsibility  and  function  of 
both  groups  of  schools  shall  be  clearly  recognized.  The  disregard 
of  either  group  of  schools  may  result  in  serious  injustice  to  the 
Indian  youth. 

(1)  U.  S.  Government  Schools,  originally  offering  the  only 
school  facilities  to  Indians  and  still  needed  to  supplement  the  limit- 
ed school  facilities  of  the  State,  will  be  needed  for  some  time  to 
come  to  provide  education  for  the  following  special  classes:  (a)  or- 
phans; (b)  those  subnormal  in  health;  (c)  those  excluded  by  pov- 
erty; (d)  those  living  too  far  from  school;  (e)  those  with  unfavor- 
able home  conditions. 

In  addition  to  the  provisions  for  the  more  or  less  abnormal 
classes  enumerated  above,  it  is  urged  that  these  well  equipped  insti- 
tutions shall  eventually  be  used  as  vocational  secondary  schools  for 
Indian  and  white  youth,  thus  increasing  such  facilities  in  rural  dis- 
tricts. This  arrangement  will  undoubtedly  be  required  as  a  result 
of  the  increasing  efficiency  of  the  elementary  rural  schools  and  as 
they  graduate  larger  numbers  of  youth  desiring  advanced  educa- 
tional training. 

(2)  The  Public  School  System  with  its  numerous  school  dis- 
tricts is  fitted  to  care  for  the  younger  children  who  can  thus  re- 
main at  home  and  receive  their  training  in  the  local  schools.     As 
other  sections  of  this  report  show,  these  schools  are  now  often  poor- 
ly equipped  both  as  regards  teaching  staff  and  school  supplies. 
They  are  largely  out  of  touch  and  sometimes  even  out  of  sympathy 
with   the   Indian  home.     With   the  provision  for  the}  Home  and 
School  Visitor  described  elsewhere  these  schools  will  be  better  pre- 
pared to  educate  the  Indian  youth  and  to  become  the  inspiration 
and  guide  to  the  Indian  home  and  community.     That  this  move- 
ment is  substantially  under  way  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  practi- 
cally 84  per  cent  of  the  Indian  school  enrollment  is  already  in 
public  schools. 

The  present  status  of  both  federal  and  State  schools  will  be  bet- 
ter understood  in  the  light  of  the  historical  conditions  attending 
s.  s.  11 


322  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

their  development.  It  has  been  only  a  short  time  since  what  is  now 
the  great  State  of  Oklahoma  was  a  vast  territory  of  rolling  prairies 
and  of  wooded  hills,  uninhabited  except  by  buffaloes,  deer,  turkey 
and  other  wild  game.  Then  followed  the  Indians — the  Pawnees, 
the  Osages,  the  Cheyenne  and  Arapahoes;  the  Shawnees,  the  Dela- 
wares  from  the  North  and  East,  the  Five  Tribes  from  the  Southeast, 
and  others,  all  migrating  into  a  country  entirely  barren  of  all  signs 
of  civilization. 

Soon,  however,  civilization  pushed  westward,  and  although  the 
Indians  had  been  assured  that  they  would  be  left  undisturbed  in 
their  western  home,  the  conflict  and  competition  of  civilization  had 
to  be  reckoned  with  because  the  Indians  were  not  to  be  moved  again. 
To  prepare  the  Indians  for  the  competition  which  they  must  meet, 
first  came  the  missionaries  to  do  their  -splendid  frontier  work.  La- 
ter, agreements  were  made  with  Indians  for  temporary  occupancy 
of  parts  of  their  lands,  and  then  the  Dawes  Land  and  Severalty  Act 
was  passed  by  Congress  which  provided  for  the  allotment  of  land 
in  severalty  to  Indians. 

With  the  sale  of  the  surplus  lands  and  their  settlement  by  white 
people  the  organization  of  public  schools  began.  The  country  was 
discovered  to  be  one  of  great  natural  resources  and  therefore  im- 
migration increased  very  rapidly  until  the  white  population  soon 
outnumbered  the  Indian. 

Meantime  the  Government  recognizing  the  rights  of  the  Indians 
and  the  fact  that  they  must  be  prepared  to  assume  the  duties  of 
citizenship  began  to  provide  day  schools  and  boarding  schools  for 
the  education  of  the  Indians  until  the  time  when  the  public  school 
system  should  be  developed  sufficiently  to  take  care  of  them  and 
until  the  allotted  Indian  lands  should  become  subject  to  taxation. 

Out  of  an  Indian  school  population  of  almost  30,000  in  Okla- 
homa there  are  about  21,000  in  public  schools.  On  account  of  lim- 
ited funds,  school  terms  are  in  many  instances  short,  courses  are 
confined  to  mere  academic  subjects,  teachers  of  meager  qualifica- 
tions are  employed,  attendance  laws  are  unenforced,  and  buildings 
are  unsatisfactory.  This  is  particularly  true  in  the  outlying  rural 
districts  where  the  majority  of  the  Indians  live. 

HOME  AND  SCHOOL  VISITORS  SHOULD  BE  APPOINTED. 

To  the  end  that  the  public  school  facilities  for  Indian  children 
may  be  improved,  not  only  for  those  already  enrolled,  but  also  to 


EDUCATION   OF  INDIANS  323 

justify  the  enrollment  of  still  larger  numbers  of  Indian  children  it 
is  urged  that  Home  and  School  Visitors  should  be  provided  in  those 
counties  having  large  numbers  of  Indian  children  to  be  educated. 

Briefly  stated  the  duties  of  the  Home  and  School  Visitor  should 
be  to  co-operate  with  the  County  Superintendent,  the  teachers,  and 
School  Boards  in  matters  of  enrollment  and  attendance,  and  in  the 
improvement  of  the  home  life  through  the  introduction  of  practical 
instruction  that  will  definitely  reach  out  from  the  schools  into  the 
homes.  The  visitor  would  also  enlist  the  co-operation  of  every 
available  agency,  both  State  and  Federal,  in  Community  activities 
looking  to  improvement  of  rural  conditions. 

The  possible  agencies  in  addition  to  County  Superintend- 
ents and  teachers  would  be  County  Nurse,  County  Physician,  Home 
Demonstration  Agents,  Truant  Officers,  Farm  Demonstration  Ag- 
ents, The  Shepherd-Towner  Child- Welfare  representatives.  Govern- 
ment and  Tribal  School  and  Agency  employees,  State  Agricultural 
workers,  Missionaries,  and  Mission  School  teachers.  The  Home 
and  School  Visitor  should  also  visit  the  homes,  become  thoroughly 
familiar  with  conditions  and  thus  obtain  information  that  would 
enable  her  to  make  practical  suggestions  not  only  to  the  occupants 
of  the  home,  but  also  to  all  co-operating  agencies  for  the  improve- 
ment of  the  home  and  community  conditions. 

It  is  suggested  that  as  the  work  of  the  Home  and  School  Visit- 
ors would  have  largely  to  do  with  Indian  homes,  the  Federal  gov- 
ernment should  contribute  liberally  to  the  fund  for  their  employ- 
ment during  the  continuation  of  the  trust  period.  It  is  believed  that 
there  should  be  at  least  thirty  Home  and  School  Visitors  for  East- 
ern Oklahoma  located  among  the  Five  Civilized  Tribes,  and  ten  in 
Western  Oklahoma.  They  should  be  selected  through  the  co-opera- 
tion of  the  County  Superintendents  and  the  school  representatives 
of  the  Indian  Bureau.  The  salaries  should  be  adequate  to  secure 
women  who  have  the  educational  qualifications  required  of  first 
grade  teachers  and  in  addition  definite  training  in  Social  Welfare. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

(1)  The  school  system  should  be  organized  so  that  the  Indian 
youth  shall  ultimately  be  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
State.  To  this  end  the  responsibility  of  the  Federal  Government 
will  gradually  decrease,  and  that  of  the  State  will  increase,  until 
the  schools  are  entirely  controlled  and  maintained  by  the  State.  In 


324 

view  of  the  fact  that  the  trust  periods  on  Indian  lands  are  to  expire 
within  five  to  ten  years,  unless  extended  by  Congress,  it  is  import- 
ant that  the  State  shall  make  all  possible  effort  to  improve  the  rural 
schools  of  the  Indian  districts,  incorporating  in  the  curriculum 
those  phases  of  education  which  are  vitally  related  to  home  life 
so  that  the  Federal  government  may  resign  its  responsibility  in 
favor  of  the  State,  with  the  assurance  that  satisfactory  "standards 
of  education  will  be  maintained. 

(2)  Home  and  School  Visitors  should  be  provided  in  the  coun- 
ties having  large  numbers  of  Indian  children.     These  workers  are 
to  study  the  Indian  homes  and  the  schools,  and  to  enlist  the  help 
of  all  county  agencies  for  their  improvement.     During  the  trust 
period  the  Federal  government  should  give  liberal  financial  aid  for 
the  employment  of  these  workers*.     As  indicated  elsewhere  40  vis- 
itors will  be  needed 

(3)  The  present  system  of  Federal  and  Tribal  boarding  schools 
should  be  continued  so  long  as  necessary  to  care  for  special  classes 
of  Indian  children,  such  as  orphans,  and  those  unable  to  attend 
public  schools  on  account  of  bad  health,  poverty,   distance  from 
school,  or  other  disabilities. 

(4)  The  government  school  plants  should  be  eventually  ac- 
quired by  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  to  be  used  as  secondary  training 
schools  offering  trade  courses,  agriculture,  and  home  economics  to 
white  and  Indian  youths. 

(5)  The  Federal  government  should  provide  liberal  financial 
aid  for  the  education  of  Indian  children  in  public  schools  during 
the  Trust  period. 


CHAPTER  X. 
EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES. 

SIZE  AND  DISTRIBUTION  OF  NEGRO  POPULATION. 

The  State  of  Oklahoma  has  a  population '  of  2,028,283,  and  of 
this  number,  149,408,  or  7.4  per  cent  are  Negroes.  The  Federal 
Census  of  1910  reported  the  Negro  population  as  137,612,  so  that 
the  actual  increase  in  10  years  was  11,796,  and  the  per  cent  in- 
crease 8.6.  The  Negro  population  is  67.9  per  cent  rural. 

In  1910,  the  Negro  urban  population  was  36,982,  and  in  1920 
it  was  47,904,  an  actual  increase1  of  10,922  or  29.5  per  cent.  The 
rural  population  was  100,630  in  1910  and  101,504  in  1920,  an  in- 
crease of  874,  or  less  than  one  per  cent.  The  census  reports  as 
"  urban "  those  who  live  in  cities  of  2,500  or  more.  It  is  evident 
from  these  figures  that  between  1910  and  1920  there  was  a  decided 
movement  of  Negroes  from  the  country  districts  to  towns  and  cities. 
This  was  due  to  economic  and  other  causes.  It  seems  reasonable  to 
assume,  however,  that  one  of  the  causes  was-  the  better  school  fa- 
cilities offered  by  the  cities. 

The  Negro  population  is  largely  concentrated  in  a  few  counties. 
According  to  the  1920  report  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  27  counties  have  less  than  100  Negro  children  of  school 
age.  In  52  of  the  77  counties  in  the  State,  the  Negro  population 
forms  less  than  10  per  cent  of  the  total. 

Table  48  shows  the  population  of  the  15  counties,  in  which  the 
Negro  population  forms  more  than  10  per  cent  of  the  total,  and  also 
shows  the  number  and  per  cent  of  illiterates. 

In  the  counties  named  in  Table  48  the  rural  Negro  population 
exceeds  the  urban,  with  the  exception  of  the  counties  of  Muskogee 
and  Tulsa.  Of  the  10,903  Negroes  in  Tulsa  County,  9,291  live  in 
Tulsa  and  Sand  Springs,  while  the  Negro  population  of  15,310  in 
Muskogee  County  is  almost  equally  divided  between  city  and  coun- 
try. Tulsa  has  the  largest  Negro  population  of  all  the  cities  of  the 
State,  8,878,  Oklahoma  City  is  next,  with  8,241.  But  Muskogee  has 

325 


326 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN   OKLAHOMA 


a  population  23.8  per  cent  Negro — a  larger  per  cent  than  any  other 
city  with  a  total  population  of  10,000  or  more. 

TABLE  48. 

Number  and  Per  Cent  of  Negroes  in  Fifteen  Counties  in  Oklahoma 
and  Number  and  Per  Cent  of  Illiterates. 


County 
Carter 

Negro 
Population 

4267 

Per  Cent 
of  Total 

10.6 

Negro  Illiterates 
10  years  of  age 
and    over 
466 

Per  Cent 
of  Negro 
Illiteracy 
14.2 

Choctaw 

5,242 

16.3 

721 

18.3 

Creek 

6,794 

10.9 

487 

9.7 

Kingfisher   _ 

1,623 

10.4 

114 

8.9 

Lincoln 

3,955 

11.8 

268 

9.4 

Logan 

6,422 

23.3 

522 

10.8 

McCurtain 

6,914 

18.2 

1029 

19.6 

Mclntosh 

5950 

22.5 

757 

17.6 

Muskogee 

15,310 

24.8 

1176 

9.8 

Okfuskee 

8,617 

34.4 

685 

11.0 

Okmulgee 

9,791 

17.8 

889 

11.9 

Seminole 

4,517 

19.0 

428 

13.1 

Sequoyah 

2,766 

10.3 

357 

17.3 

Tulsa 

10,903 

10.0 

710 

8.1 

Wagoner 

__     7,093 

33.2 

643 

14.1 

Total  _ 

.  100.164 

9352 

The  fifteen  counties  named  in  Table  48  have  67.4  per  cent  of 
Oklahoma's  entire  Negro  population.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that 
the  problem  of  Negro  education  in  Oklahoma  is  more  a  problem 
of  rural  than  of  urban  education  at  the  present  time.  The  census 
figures  prove,  however,  that  it  is /tending  to  become  an  urban  prob- 
lem. Unless  the  Negro  Rural  schools  are  improved  the  relatively 
superior  school  facilities  in  towns  and  cities  will  operate,  with  other 
influences,  to  stimulate  the  townward  drift  of  the  Negroes. 

A  line  drawn  due  east  from  Oklahoma  City  will  cut  across 
five  counties  named  in  Table  48,  one  drawn  due  north  and  south 
will  cut  across  two ;  and  the  remaining  eight  may  be  located  as 
follows :  One,  northwest ;  three,  southwest ;  and  four,  northeast  of 
Oklahoma  City,  the  approximate  center  of  the  State. 

In  Oklahoma  County,  8,241  of  the  11,401  Negroes  live  in  Okla- 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES  327 

homa  City;  in  Grady  County,  1,183  of  the  1,478  live  in  Chickasha; 
in  Pittsburg  County,  2,467  of  the  4,005  live  in  McAlester  and  Harts- 
horne,  and  in  several  counties  where  the  Negro  population  is  small, 
it  is  mostly  urban,  as  in  "Washington  County,  where  526  of  the  763 
Negroes  live  in  Bartlesville. 

ILLITERACY  IN  OKLAHOMA. 

In  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  there  are  56,864  illiterate  persons 
ten  years  of  age  and  over,  according  to  the  United  States  Census 
of  1920.  Of  this  number  14,205  or  24.9  per  cent,  are  Negroes.  There 
were  48,076  illiterate  persons  twenty-one  years  of  age  or  over,  of 
whom  12,491  or  25.9  per  cent  are  Negroes.  In  view  of  the  fact  that 
the  Negroes  constitute  only  7.4  per  cent  of  the  State's  population, 
these  facts  indicate  that  the  school  facilities  for  Negroes  are  not 
equal  to  those  provided  for  white  children.  Certainly  the  schools 
have  been  less  effective  in  the  case  of  the  Negroes,  so  far  as  the 
elimination  of  illiteracy  is  concerned.  Illiteracy  in  Oklahoma,  how- 
ever, has  doubtless  been  affected  by  adult  Negro  illiterates  moving 
into  the  State,  and  also  of  Negroes  over  ten  years  of  age  who  have 
ceased  to  attend  school.  Table  49  gives  some  data  on  Negro  illit- 
eracy in  Oklahoma. 

TABLE   49. 
NEGRO    ILLITERACY   IN    OKLAHOMA    1910-1920. 

1910  1920  Per  cent 

Number     Per  cent       Number     Per  cent     Decrease 

10  years  and  over 17,858  17.7  14,205  12.4  5.3 

Male    8,802  16.4  7,368  12.5  3.9 

Female  9,056  19.1  6,837  12.3  6.8 

21  years  and  over  15,217  22.7  12,491  16.4  6.3 

Male    7,396  20.1  6,322  15.8  4.3 

Female  7,821  25.9  6,169  17.0  8.9 

Urban — 

10  years  and  over  3,688  12.4  3,419  8.6  3.8 

21  years  and  over  3,376  15.3  3,282  11.3  4.0 

Rural — 

10  years  and  over  14,170  19.9  10,786  14.4  5.5 

21  years  and  over  11,841  26.3  9,209  19.5  6.8 

Table  49  shows  that  in  ten  years,  Negro  illiteracy  was  reduced 
5.3  per  cent  in  the  case  of  persons  ten  years  of  age  and  over,  and  6.3 
per  cent  in  the  case  of  adults.  The  actual  reduction  was  3,633.  The 
table  also  shows  that  the  rural  Negroes  are  more  illiterate  than  those 
in  cities,  and  that  the  reduction  of  illiteracy  was  greater  in  the  case 


328  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

of  the  rural  population.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  it  is  easier  to 
obtain  a  considerable  decrease  in  illiteracy  where  illiteracy  is  large 
than  where  it  is  small. 

OCCUPATIONS  FOLLOWED  BY  NEGROES. 

Farming  is  the  most  important  occupation  followed  by  Negroes 
in  the  State.  In  the  towns  and  cities  where  the  Negro  population 
is  large,  the  Negroes  furnish  a  considerable  part  of  the  unskilled 
labor,  and  an  important  part  of  the  skilled  labor.  They  engage  in 
various  forms  of  domestic  service,  serve  as  porters  in  stores,  bell 
boys  and  waiters  in  hotels,  truck  drivers,  etc.  Among  the  skilled 
occupations  followed  by  them  may  be  mentioned  the  building  trades, 
especially  carpentry,  brick  laying,  plastering,  and  painting.  A  con- 
siderable number  engage  in  such  trades  as  shoe  repairing,  tailoring, 
cleaning,  and  pressing.  The  two  professions  most  largely  repre- 
sented among  them  are  teaching  and  the  ministry.  Other  profes- 
sions, the  medical  profession,  for  instance,  are  gaining  in  prom- 
inence. In  recent  years  a  number  of  so-called  "race  enterprises" 
have  been  developed,  and  these  enterprises  use  more  employees 
every  year.  The  Negro  insurance  companies  may  be  cited  as  an 
example  of  this. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  PROPER  TRAINING  FOR  NEGROES. 

The  White  people  of  Oklahoma  have  a  direct  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  the  Negroes,  although  some  White  people  may  not  realize 
that  fact.  If  illiteracy  is  removed  in  Oklahoma,  Negro  illiteracy  as 
well  as  white,  must  go.  Figures  have  already  been  cited  to  show 
that  25  per  cent  of  the  illiterates  in  the  State  are  colored.  This 
means  that  much  of  the  Negro  labor  on  the  farm  and  in  the  city 
must  be  inefficient. 

Mere  literacy,  however,  is  no  guarantee  of  industrial  or  agri- 
cultural efficiency.  Thousands  of  literate  Negroes  are  unskilled  and 
have  very  little  education.  If  many  of  these  could  be  transformed 
into  skilled  workers  with  a  reasonable  amount  of  education,  the 
economic  gain  to  the  State  would  be  very  great.  In  this  connection 
it  should  be  remarked  that  most  of  the  Negro  labor  is  employed  by 
white  people.  From  the  standpoint  of  health  alone  the  white  peo- 
ple should  be  concerned  about  the  Negroes'  welfare  and  progress. 
A  low  economic  status  means  a  low  plane  of  living,  and  often  means 
also  insanitary  home  conditions.  In  cities,  the  occupations  followed 
by  many  Negroes  bring  them  into  contact  with  White  people.  This 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES  329 

is  certainly  true  of  those  engaged  in  all  forms  of  domestic  service. 
The  foregoing  statements  must  not  be  taken  to  include  all  occu- 
pations followed  by  Negroes.  In  a  State  like  Oklahoma  there  is, 
naturally,  a  great  variety.  In  Pittsburg  County,  for  instance,  there 
are  many  Negroes  employed  as  miners.  It  is  evident  that  any  real 
program  of  education  for  the  Negroes  must  be  broad  enough  to 
include  training  along  many  lines.  While  agricultural  and  indus- 
trial training  should  receive  large  emphasis,  the  proper  training  of 
those  who  will  engage  in  teaching,,  the  ministry,  medicine,  and  other 
professions,  is  of  great  importance  because  the  leaders  of  the  race 
will  come  from  that  group. 

THE  TYPES  OF  NEGRO  SCHOOLS  IN  OKLAHOMA. 

The  White  schools  in  Oklahoma  are  classified  as  follows :  those 
in  independent  districts,  those  in  village  districts,  those  in  consol- 
idated districts,  those  in  union  graded  districts,  and  rural  or  un- 
graded schools. 

The  Negro  schools  are  classified  in  the  same  way  in  the  Report 
of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  but  the  classifica- 
tion does  not  mean  the  same  thing  as  in  the  case  of  White  schools. 
A  White  school  reported  as  independent  is  an  accredited  high  school, 
located  in  an  incorporated  city  or  town.  These  schools  are  reported 
by  the  city  or  town  superintendent,  who  also  has  supervision  of  the 
colored  school  and  makes  a  report  on  it.  Thus,  the  white  schools 
of  the  city  of  Sapulpa  are  in  an  independent  district,  and  so  is  the 
colored  school.  But  this  does  not  mean  that  the  colored  school  is 
an  accredited  high  school. 

The  Negro  schools  reported  as  in  independent  districts  are 
those  located  in  a  city  or  town,  where  the  White  school  is  accredited. 
Except  in  the  town  of  Boley,  the  White  town  and  city  schools  re- 
ceive all  the  school  funds  raised  by  taxation  in  the  district,  while 
the  Negro  schools  are  " separate"  or  " minority"  schools,  financed 
by  a  county-wide  levy  of  two  mills,  or  less,  made  by  the  county 
excise  board.  This  board  is  composed  of  one  county  commissioner 
and  the  county  judge  (chairman),  the  county  clerk  (secretary),  the 
county  treasurer,  the  county  assessor,  the  county  attorney,  and  the 
county  school  superintendent. 

A  Negro  school  in  a  city  or  town,  reported  as  independent,  may 
be  an  accredited  high  school,  as  in  Guthrie,  or  a  one-teacher  school, 
as  in  Poteau.  The  Negro  school  at  Hugo  has  three  teachers.  This 
.group  contains  the  best  Negro  schools  in  the  State,  r.nd  also  some 


330  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

of  the  poorest.  They  can  be  put  into  one  class  only  by  reason  of 
the  fact  that  they  are  all  located  in  cities  or  towns. 

The  White  schools  located  in  villages  are  reported  as  "  village 
districts"  and  the  colored  schools  in  those  districts  are  reported  in 
the  same  way.  All  of  the  White  schools  so  reported  have  more  than 
one  teacher.,  but  the  Negro  village  school  may  have  one  or  more 
teachers.  The  Negro  village  school  is  a  "separate"  school  in  most 
cases,  but  some  of  them  are  district  schools,  having  a  colored  board 
of  directors,  and  supported  by  a  district  tax.  The  school  at  Clear- 
view  in  Okfuskee  County  is  an  example  of  this. 

The  White  consolidated  schools  are  those  organized  under  the 
law  providing  for  their  establishment.  The  Negro  schools  located 
in  these  districts  are  reported  as  consolidated,  but  they  are  only 
rural  schools.  They  are  left  in  the  same  condition  as  before  the 
White  schools  were  consolidated.  There  are  four  consolidated  Negro 
schools  in  the  State:  Arcadia  and  Luther,  in  Oklahoma  County, 
Lincoln  School  in  Carter  County,  and  Wellston  School  in  Lincoln 
County.  All  of  these  schools  are  "separate"  schools,  but  all  the 
White  consolidated  schools  are  district  schools. 

A  union  graded  school  is  one  organized  under  the  law  providing 
for  such  schools.  The  Negro  schools  reported  as  "union  graded" 
are  those  in  districts  where  the  White  schools  are  union  graded 
There  is  no  union  graded  Negro  school  in  the  State. 

The  white  and  colored  schools  reported  as  "rural"  are  the 
small  ungraded  country  schools,  usually  with  one  or  two  teachers. 
All  types  of  schools  are  under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  county 
superintendent,  except  those  in  independent  districts. 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  there  are  only  four  classes  of  Negro 
schools — those  in  towns  or  cities,  village  schools,  consolidated  schools 
and  rural  schools.  The  consolidated  schools  and  the  town  and  city 
schools  in  larger  cities  like  Guthrie,  are  by  far  the  most  efficient 
schools.  Of  the  44,557  Negro  children  enrolled  in  the  schools,  26,957 
are  in  village  or  rural  schools,  including  the  very  few  who  are  in 
the  consolidated  schools  named.  Some  of  the  two-teacher  rural 
schools  are  well  equipped  and  taught.  Some  of  this  type  were  found 
in  Wagoner  County.  These  were  district  schools.  The  Negro  dis- 
trict schools  are,  as  a  group,  better  financed  and  superior  to  the 
separate  schools.  The  Red  Bird  and  Tullahassee  district  schools  in 
Wagoner  County,  and  the  Sand  Creek  and  Childsville  district  schools 
in  Okfuskee  County  are  first-class  village  and  rural  schools. 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES  331 

LEGAL  PROVISIONS  FOR  NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

The  law  of  Oklahoma  providing  for  separation  of  the  races  in 
schools  is  as  follows : 

Section  280.  The  public  schools  of  the  State  of  Oklahoma  shall 
be  organized  and  maintained  upon  a  complete  plan  of  separation 
between  the  white  and  colored  races,  with  impartial  facilities  for 
both  races. 

Section  281.  The  term  "Colored"  as  used  in  the  preceding 
section  shall  be  construed  to  mean  all  persons  of  African  descent, 
who  possess  any  quantam  of  Negro  blood,  and  the  term  "white" 
shall  include  all  other  persons.  The  term  "public  school"  within 
the  meaning  of  this  article,  shall  include  all  schools  provided  for  or 
maintained,  in  whole  or  in  part,,  at  public  expense.  (From  the 
School  Laws  of  Oklahoma,  1921). 

The  law  for  the  maintenance  of  separate  schools  is  as  follows : 

Section  282.  The  county  separate  school  in  each  district  is 
hereby  declared  to  be  that  school  in  said  school  district  of  the  race 
having  the  fewest  number  of  children  in  said  school  district :  Pro- 
vided, that  the  county  superintendent  of  public  instruction  of  each 
county  shall  have  authority  to  designate  what  school  or  schools  in 
each  school  district  shall  be  the  separate  school  and  which  class  of 
children — either  white  or  colored — shall  have  the  privilege  of  at- 
tending such  separate  school  or  schools  in  said  school  district.  Mem- 
bers of  the  district  school  board  shall  be  of  the  same  race  as  the 
children  who  are  entitled  to  attend  the  school  of  the  district,  not 
the  separate  school. 

Section  287.  Support  for  Separate  Schools :  In  all  cases  where 
County  Separate  Schools  for  white  and  colored  children  are  main- 
tained, the  County  Excise  Board  shall  annually  levy  a  tax  roll  on 
all  taxable  property  in  their  respective  counties,  sufficient  to  main- 
tain such  separate  schools  as  are  hereinafter  provided.  Upon  esti- 
mate made  by  the  County  Commissioners,  said  taxes  shall  be 
estimated,  published,  levied  and  collected,  in  the  same  manner  as 
other  taxes  for  county  purposes ;  provided,  however,  that  in  all  in- 
dependent districts  where  separate  schools  for  white  and  colored 
children  are  maintained,  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion therein  at  the  time  of  preparing  of  their  annual  budget,  to  pre- 
pare a  separate  budget  of  the  amount  of  money  that  will  be  required 
to  be  raised  by  taxation  for  the  support  and  maintenance  of  such 
separate  schools,  including  the  amount  necessary  to  purchase  sites 


332  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

and  to  erect  school  buildings  for  such  separate  schools  for  the  com- 
ing fiscal  year,  and  it  shall  thereupon  be 'the  duty  of  the  County  Ex- 
cise Boards  in  such  counties  to  levy  a  tax  on  all  taxable  property 
in  their  respective  counties  sufficient  to  pay  the  cost  of  supporting 
and  maintaining  such  separate  schools  and  purchasing  sites  and 
erecting  school  buildings  for  such  separate  schools  as  shown  by  such 
budget  and  which  said  tax  shall  be  published,,  levied,  and  collected 
in  the  same  manner  as  other  taxes  for  county  purposes,  and  when 
collected  shall  be  paid  over  to  the  respective  Treasurers  of  the  Board 
of  Education  in. such  districts,  to  be  expended  upon  the  order  of 
such  Board  of  Education  for  the  purpose  for  which  same  was  levied 
and  collected.  No  white  child  shall  attend  a  colored  school  or  a 
colored  child  attend  a  white  school.  (Sec.  1,  S.  B.  71,  "S.  L.  1919.) 

DISTRICT  AND  SEPARATE  SCHOOLS. 

All  the  public  schools  are  either  district  or  separate  schools. 
There  are  only  92  colored  district  schools  in  the  State.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  total  enrollment  in  the  white  separate  schools  is  only  994 
in  the  entire  State.  It  is  therefore  evident  that  most  of  the  Negro 
schools  are  separate  schools,  or  "minority"  schools.  The  law  of 
Oklahoma  provides  that  all  the  district  school  tax  shall  go  to  main- 
tain the  school  for  the  race  that  is  in  the  majority.  Thus,  all  the 
school  district  tax  in  Oklahoma  City  goes  to  support  the  white 
schools.  The  Negro  schools  in  Oklahoma  City  and  in  all  other  cities 
except  Boley,  are  supported  by  a  county- wide  tax  levy  of  two  mills 
or  less.  In  some  counties  the  levy  has  been  less  than  two  mills.  A 
school  district  tax  may  be  levied  up  to  15  mills. 

Under  the  law,  the  county  superintendent  has  the  power  to  de- 
clare either  race  in  the  majority  and  there  is  no  appeal  from  his 
decision.  It  is  well  known  that  in  a  number  of  districts  where  all 
the  district  school  tax  goes  to  the  white  school,  the  Negroes  are 
actually  in  the  majority.  This  is  stated  simply  as  a  fact  and  not 
as  a  criticism  of  the  county  superintendent. 

It  is  easy  to  see  that  as  a  rule  a  district  school  can  be  better 
financed  than  a  separate  school.  In  this  connection  it  should  be 
remembered  that  the  county  levy  must  provide  all  the  money  for 
building,  equipping,  and  maintaining  these  separate  schools.  The 
policy  of  erecting  buildings  out  of  maintenance  funds  is  unsound. 
The  law  has  worked  a  hardship  on  a  number  of  Negro  schools  in 
towns  and  cities,  because  under  the  law,  bonds  cannot  be  issued  to 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES  333 

erect  buildings,  nor  can  the  town  or  city  pay  for  the  building  in 
any  way  except  by  a  county  levy. 

The  following  paragraphs  are  taken  from  page  39  of  the  1920 
Report  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction : 

"In  the  beginning  each  district  in  the  State  was  required  to 
maintain  all  public  schools  within  its  boundaries,  the  school  for  the 
Whites  and  the  school  for  the  Negroes.  The  Third  Legislature  passed 
a  law  providing  that  the  local  district  tax  shall  be  used  to  maintain 
the  school  attended  by  the  race  which  has  a  majority  in  the  district, 
and  that  the  minority  schools,  or  separate  schools,  as  they  are  called, 
shall  be  supported  by  a  levy  made  on  all  the  taxable  property  in  the 
county.  This  act  has  served  to  relieve  the  majority  schools  by  mak- 
ing all  money  derived  from  the  local  district  levy  available  for  the 
support  of  the  majority  schools. 

While  this  plan  materially  relieves  the  districts  in  which  both 
races  reside,  it  is  a  fact  that  in  many  districts  where  the  boards 
would  like  to  make  the  separate  school  as  efficient  as  the  majority 
school,  they  are  unable  to  do  so  because  of  the  fact  that  the  two  mill 
levy  limit  for  county  school  purposes  is  insufficient  to  equip  and 
maintain  the  separate  schools  equal  to  the  standard  maintained  by 
the  city  schools  where  the  majority  of  the  children  who  attend  sep- 
arate schools  reside.  Many  city  boards  have  expressed  themselves 
as  being  anxious  to  make  the  school  advantages  equal  but  are  un- 
able to  do  so  under  the  law. 

"On  the  other  hand,  there  are  a  great  many  school  districts  in 
the  State  having  no  Negro  population  at  all  that  are  voting  the  limit 
of  fifteen  mills  to  maintain  their  schools,  and  because  they  happen 
to  be  located  in  counties  having  a  large  Negro  population  they  are 
compelled  to  pay  one  mill  extra  on  all  their  property,  to  support 
the  separate  schools  of  other  districts,  some  of  which  are  not  re- 
quired to  vote  the  limit  for  all  school  purposes,  and  it  frequently 
happens  that  the  negro  schools  of  the  cities  are  better  supported 
financially  than  a  very  large  number  of  the  village  and  rural  schools 
where  they  vote  the  maximum  levy  for  local  school  purposes. 

As  a  matter  of  practice,  the  Negro  District  Schools  are  located 
in  those  districts  where  the  population  is  entirely  Negro,  or  prac- 
tically so.  Thus,  there  are  nine  Negro  district  schools  in  Wagoner 
County,  and  in  these  districts  very  few  white  people  live.  There 
are  only  two  white  separate  schools  in  the  county.  Whatever  may 
have  been  the  intention  of  the  law,  making  the  minority  school  a 


334  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

separate  school,  its  effect  has  been  to  make  most  of  the  Negro 
schools  separate  schools.  Many  of  the  Negro  district  schools  are 
located  in  Negro  towns  and  villages,  like  Lima  in  Seminole  County. 

PEACTICAL  EFFECT  OF  LAW  A  HANDICAP  ON  NEGRO 

EDUCATION. 

The  separate  school  law  does  not  work  a  hardship  on  the  Ne- 
groes in  counties  like  Oklahoma,  Tulsa  and  Carter,  where  the  Negro 
population  is  relatively  small,  and  the  valuation  large.  It  does  work 
a  hardship,  however,  on  the  Negroes  in  counties  like  Wagoner,  Choc- 
taw,  Okfuskee,  McCurtain,  and  Seminole  and  in  some  others.  In 
these  counties  the  Negro  population  is  relatively  large  and  the  valu- 
ation small,  as  compared  with  Oklahoma's  rich  counties,  and  the 
permissable  county  levy  of  two  mills  for  separate  schools  is  in- 
adequate. 

It  is  easy  to  see  how  this  law  would  result  in  injustice  to  the 
Negroes  in  rural  counties,  dependent  for  the  most  part  on  taxes 
levied  on  farm  lands,  unless  the  Negro  population  in  the  county  is 
small.  The  Negro  district  schools  of  the  counties  named,  and  of 
some  other  counties,  have,  as  a  rule,  well  paid  Negro  teachers  who 
are  qualified  to  teach.  It  is  obviously  impossible,  however,  to  build, 
equip,  and  maintain  the  22  separate  Negro  schools  in  a  county  like 
Wagoner,  from  a  county  levy  of  two  mills. 

The  separate  school  law  is  unjust  to  both  races,  and  cannot  be 
defended,  as  a  matter  of  principle.  Its  injustice  to  the  Negroes  is 
manifest,  The  Negro  taxpayers  of  Oklahoma  City,  and  of  all  dis- 
tricts in  the  State  where  the  district  school  is  a  white  school,  are 
taxed  15  mills  or  less  to  support 'the  white  schools,  or  school.  In 
addition  they  are  taxed  two  mills  or  less  to  maintain  their  own 
schools,  in  Oklahoma  County,  including  those  in  Oklahoma  City. 
In  addition,  they  are  taxed  to  help  retire  bonds  that  have  been 
issued.  These  bonds  were  issued  to  build  white  schools. 

Other  examples  of  injustice  worked  by  this  law  may  be  men- 
tioned. The  separate  school  law  has  defeated  what  was  apparently 
the  intention  of  the  people — that  " impartial  facilities"  be  provided 
for  white  and  colored  children.  Oklahoma  City  cannot,  directly, 
by  bond  issues  or  otherwise,  spend  any  money  to  build  and  equip 
Negro  schools.  The  result  is  that  while  Oklahoma  City  has  some 
of  the  best  equipped  and  finest  white  school  buildings  in  the  coun- 
try, the  Negro  schools  are  not  in  keeping  with  the  wealth  and 
progress  of  the  city. 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES  335 

The  County  School  Superintendents  of  Wagoner  and  Okfuskee 
Counties  stated  that,  under  the  law,  sufficient  funds  could  not  be 
secured  to  maintain  the  separate  (Negro)  schools  properly.  The 
white  and  colored  schools  should  be  financed  in  the  same  way,  un- 
der a  county  unit  system.  Oklahoma's  " separate  school  law"  is 
peculiar  to  this  State  and  no  other  State  has  any  such  law. 

PUBLIC  SCHOOL  STATISTICS. 

According  to  the  figures  of  the  State  Department  of  Public 
Instruction  for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1922,  the  enumeration  of 
children  of  school  age  in  Oklahoma  was  647,038  White  children  and 
50,578  Negro  children.  School  age  includes  children  6  to  20,  both 
inclusive.  Of  the  Negro  children  of  school  age,  19,473  were  enum- 
erated in  independent  systems,  which  are  incorporated  towns  where 
there  is  an  accredited  high  school  for  the  White  pupils.  In  districts 
where  there  were  "village"  white  schools,  4,004  Negro  children 
were  enumerated.  The  remaining  27,101  were  enumerated  as  being 
in  rural  schools,  that  is,  in  being  in  districts  where  the  white  school 
is  consolidated,  union  graded,  or  rural.  This  number  includes  those 
districts  which  have  Negro  district  schools,  92  in  all,  where  the 
white  school,  if  any,  is  a  separate  school,  supported  by  a  county 
levy  of  two  mills  or  less. 

Of  the  50,578  Negro  children  of  school  age,  44,557  are  enrolled. 
It  is  probable  that  this  figure  is  too  large,  due  to  the  fact  that  some 
children  are  enrolled  in  two  schools  during  the  year,  and  thus 
counted  twice.  Hence  88.9  per  cent  of  those  enumerated  are  en- 
rolled. The  per  cent  of  White  children  enrolled  is  87.4.  The  average 
daily  attendance  for  the  Negro  schools  is  26,181,  or  58.7  per  cent 
of  the  enrollment.  The  per  cent  for  the  White  schools  is  64.5.  These 
facts  ^or  the  Negro  schools  are  shown  in  Table  50.  The  Negro 
schools  have  been  put  in  three  groups. — city  (independent  district), 
village,  and  rural. 

TABLE    50. 

ENUMERATION,    ENROLLMENT,    AND    AVERAGE    ATTENDANCE 
OP  NEGRO    SCHOOLS. 

Enum-           Enroll-  Per  cent  Average  Per  cent 

eration            ment     enrolled  attendance  attendance 

Independent    districts           19,473             17,600             90.5  11,584  65.8 

Village                                          4,004               3,871             96.6  2,308  59.6 

Rural                                             27,101              23,086              85.2  12",289  53.6 


Total  50,578  44,557  88.9  26,181  58.7 

As  there  are  1,170  colored  teachers,  and  44,557  pupils  enrolled, 
the  number  of  pupils  enrolled  per  teacher  is  37.    Table  51  shows  this 


336  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

figure  for  each  group  of  school,  city,  village,  and  rural.  The  aver- 
age annual  teacher's  salary  is  $716.71.  In  the  city  colored  schools, 
the  average  is  $985.50;  in  the  village  schools,  $697.74;  and  in  the 
rural  schools,  $537.82. 

TABLE  51. 

NUMBER  OF  TEACHERS,  TEACHERS  PER  CHILD  ENROLLED,  SAL- 
ARIES' AND  AVERAGE  TEACHER'S  SALARY. 

No.  of         Teachers  per  Teachers'     Average  annual 

Teachers     Child  enrolled  Salaries                Salary 

Independent    Districts         481                      36  $454,026.24                  $985150 

Village                                            87                      44  60,704.13                    697.74 

Rural                                             602                      38  323,826.29                    537.82 


Total  1170  37  $838,55,6.66  $716.71 

The  average  annual  teachers'  salary  in  the  several  classes  of 
white  schools  are  as  follows :  Independent  district  $1,202.37 ;  vil- 
lage $1,036.05;  consolidated  $965.75;  union  graded  $921.97;  rural 
$828.51. 

The  grades  of  license  held  by  colored  teachers  is  an  index  of 
the  teaching  and  of  the  preparation  of  teachers.  Those  teachers 
who  hold  any  of  the  various  State  licenses  are  reported  as  li  first 
grade."  All  State  licenses,  except  the  temporary  license,  issued  to 
teachers  from  other  States,  are  regarded  as  equal  to  or  higher  than 
a  first-grade  county  license.  The  examination  for  a  first-grade 
license  includes  20  subjects  and  takes  the  applicant  three  days  to 
complete.  Of  the  1,170  teachers,  630,  or  53.8  per  cent,  have  first- 
grade  licenses;  322,  or  27.5  per  cent,  have  second  grade,  and  218 
or  18.7  per  cent,  have  third  grade  licenses.  See  Table  52. 

TABLE   52. 

GRADE    OF    LICENSES    HELD    BY    NEGRO    TEACHERS. 
First  Grade  Second  Grade  Third  Grade 

Grand 

Male    Female    Total        Male    Female    Total          Male    Female    Total      Total 
Independent 

Districts        107         123         230  39         122         161  5  85  90         481 

Village  25  39  64  3  11  14  1  8  9  87 

Rural  97         239         336  32         115         147  20  99         119         602 

Total  '229         401          630  74        ^248          322  26          192          2*18       1170 

The  total  amount  invested  in  school  property  is  $1,571,990,  and 
the  per  capita  value,  based  on  enrollment  is  $35.28.  In  independent 
districts,  the  per  capita  amount  is  $55.82 ;  in  village  schools,  $28.71 ; 
and  in  the  rural  schools,  $20.71.  The  figures  for  the  white  schools 
are:  for  the  State  $80.74;  for  independent  districts  $140.29;  for 
village  schools  $56.38;  for  consolidated  schools  $34.88;  for  union 
graded  schools,  $59.48 ;  and  for  rural  schools,  $27.86. 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES  337 

The  per  capita  cost,  based  on  enrollment  is  $24.10  in  the  colored 
schools,  for  the  State  as  a  whole.  In  the  white  schools,  the  cost  is 
$37.87.  The  per  capita  cost  for  the  several  types  of  Negro  schools 
is  as  follows:  independent  districts,  $31.40;  village,  $19.44;  rural, 
$17.59. 

Since  the  colored  schools  have  an  average  daily  attendance  of 
26,181,  while  there  are  50,578  negro  children  of  school  age,  there 
are  24,397  of  school  age,  who  are  not  in  average  attendance.  This 
condition  of  affairs  means  educational  inefficiency  and  too  small  a 
return  in  educational  results  for  the  money  being  spent.  One  cause 
of  this  is  the  fact  that  outside  of  the  independent  systems,  there 
are  497  colored  one-teacher  schools;  94  two-teacher  schools;  and  37 
schools  with  three  or  more  teachers.  These  figures  are  for  1920  and 
are  the  latest  available.  In  order  for  a  one-teacher  school  to  be 
efficient,  it  must  have  a  suitable  building,  good  equipment,  a  cap- 
able teacher  and  supervision.  Without  these,  the  inherent  defects 
of  a  one-teacher  school  will  not  be  offset  to  any  large  extent. 

HIGH  SCHOOLS  AND  SCHOOLS  IN  CITIES  AND  TOWNS. 

In  Oklahoma  the  enrollment  of  Negro  pupils  in  high  school 
grades  is  1,467,  434  boys  and  1,033  girls.  These  pupils  were  dis- 
tributed among  the  several  grades  as  shown  in  Table  53. 

TABLE  53 
High  School  Enrollment  by  Grades. 

Schools  in  Village  and 

Grade  Independent  Rural  Schools  Total 

Districts 

Ninth  580  79  659 

Tenth  348  35  383 

Eleventh  209  23  232 

Twelfth  182  11  193 


Total  1319  148  1467 

It  will  be  seen  from  Table  53  that  nearly  all  the  high  school 
pupils  are  in  independent  district  schools,  that  is,  city  or  town 
schools.  The  high  school  pupils  form  only  8.2  per  cent  of  the  total 
enrolled  in  the  city  and  town  schools. 

There  are  117  high  school  teachers,  of  whom  102  are  in  city  and 
town  schools.  Of  these,  59  are  men  and  43  women.  These  teachers 


338  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

constitute  23  per  cent  of  all  teachers  in  colored  schools  of  cities 
and  towns. 

There  are  11  accredited  Negro  High  Schools.  The  following 
list  shows  the  town  and  county  where  these  schools  are  located,  and 
the  units  offered  by  each  school. 

LOCATION  AND  NUMBER  OF  UNITS  OFFERED  BY 
ACCREDITED  NEGRO  HIGH  SCHOOLS  OF  OKLAHOMA. 

Town  County  Units 

Boley  Okfuskee                                   32.5 

Chickasha  Grady*                                       16. 

Guthrie  Logan*  23.5 

Luther  Oklahoma                                   24. 

McAlester  Pittsburg                                    16. 

Muskogee  Muskogee                                  17. 

Nowata  Nowata                                        22.5 

Oklahoma  City  Oklahoma                                   25.5 

Red  Bird  Wagoner                                     14. 

Tulsa  Tulsa  20.5 

Chandler  Lincoln                                       11. 

All  of  the  above  schools  are  separate,  except  Red  Bird  and 
Boley,  which  are  district.  Schools  marked  (*)  have  teacher- train- 
ing classes  in  high  school,  under  the  State  organization  of  that 
work. 

The  average  monthly  salary  paid  these  colored  high  school 
teachers  in  1921  was  $106.72.  In  the  white  high  schools  the  aver- 
age salary  was  $117.27. 

As  it  is  obvious  that  no  pupils  will  go  to  high  school  except 
those  who  complete  the  eighth  grade,  the  success  of  the  high  schools 
depends  in  a  large  measure  on  the  efficiency  and  holding  power 
of  the  grade  schools.  As  most  of  the  high  schools  are  in  towns  and 
cities,  it  will  be  interesting  to  know  how  many  pupils  are  eliminated 
from  the  various  grades  each  year  in  these  schools. 

TABLE  54. 
COLORED  WHITE 

Promoted  to     High  School     Promoted  to        High  School 
High  School       Graduates       High  School         Graduates 
Boys  142  55  5,033  2,012 

Girls  228  103  6,020  3,359 

Total  370  158  11,053  5,371 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES 


339 


Table  54  shows  the  number  of  pupils  promoted  to  high  school, 
and  graduating  from  high  school. 

Table  55  shows  the  number  of  boys  and  girls  enrolled  in  the 
several  grades  of  the  city  and  town  schools,  and  the  differences  in 
enrollment  between  the  grades.  It  also  shows  the  total  enrollment 
in  each  grade,  added  to  that  of  the  grades  below  : 

TABLE  55. 
Enrollment  by  Grades,  1920-21  of  Negro  Schools  in  111 

Independent  Districts. 
Girls          Total        Loss  Between  Total  up  to 


Grade 


Boys 


Primer 

153 

161 

319 

First 

2,398 

2,211 

4,609 

Second 

1,190 

1,218 

2,408 

Third 

1,130 

1,185 

2,315 

Fourth 

952 

1,001 

1,953 

Fifth 

729 

840 

1,569 

Sixth 

548 

715 

1,263 

Seventh 

416 

601 

1,017 

Eighth 

328 

496 

824 

Grades 

Grade 

319 

4,928 

2,201 

7,336 

93 

9,651 

362 

11,604 

384 

13,173 

306 

14,436 

246 

15,453 

193 

16,277 

Total 


7,849        8,428        16,277 


In  Table  55  the  sixth  column  shows  the  total  up  to,  and  in- 
cluding the  grade.  Thus  the  figure  9,551  shows  that  the  total 
enrollment  of  the  first  three  grades,  including  the  primer  class,  was 
9,651.  As  the  total  enrollment  of  the  first  eight  grades  is  16,277, 
it  is  clear  that  before  the  fourth  grade  is  reached,  half  of  the  pupils 
are  eliminated  from  school,  or  else  are  repeating  grades.  With 
4,609  pupils  in  the  first  grade,  there  are  only  1,953  in  the  fourth 
grade. 

These  figures  indicate  clearly  that  the  primary  work  in  these 
town  and  city  schools  is  inefficient,  because  of  too  many  pupils  to 
the  teacher,  poor  teaching,  lack  of  suitable  equipment,  lack  of  equip- 
ment, lack  of  supervision,  and  other  causes.  More  than  half  of 
the  total  enrollment  in  eight  grades  is  found  in  the  first  three 
grades.  Undoubtedly  many  pupils  repeat  grades,  and  thus  be- 
come retarded,  or  older  than  they  should  be  for  their  grade.  If 
250  pupils  in  a  school  system  repeat  a  grade  each  year,  there  is  a 
total  loss  of  250  years.  These  pupils  cannot  make  up  this  time, 


340  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

which  is  greater  loss  than  the  loss  in  money  represented  by  the  in- 
efficiency of  the  work  in  the  first  grade. 

In  the  small  towns,  the  Negro  schools  often  have  only  three 
or  four  teachers.  In  those  visited,  the  principal  was  found  teach- 
ing from  12  to  20  pupils,  while  the  primary  teacher  was  making 
an  effort  to  teach  46  pupils  in  the  first  and  second  grades.  This 
was  the  case  at  Weleetka.  In  Hugo  the  principal  had  12  pupils 
present  in  his  class  room,  while  the  primary  teacher  had  48  pupils 
present. 

When  such  conditions  as  this  exist,  it  is  small  wonder  that 
the  pupils  are  rapidly  eliminated  from  school.  Economic  con- 
siderations alone  would  eliminate  many,,  however.  There  is  a 
great  need  of  more  effective  teaching  in  the  primary  grades  of 
the  town  and  city  schools.  More  teachers  are  needed,  in  order  that 
there  may  not  be  more  than  35  pupils  to  the  teacher;  more  class- 
room space  should  be  provided,  so  that  there  will  not  be  overcrowd- 
ing in  primary  rooms,  as  there  is  at  present  in  many  of  these  schools ; 
and  more  supervision  must  be  given  to  this  work,  if  the  pupils 
are  to  be  kept  in  schox)!.  In  the  city  schools,  the  high  school 
teachers  are  nearly  all  college  graduates  with  successful  experience 
in  school  work ;  as  a  group,  they  are  superior  to  the  grade  teachers. 

NEW  TYPES  OF  WORK  TO  HOLD  PUPILS  IN  SCHOOL. 

In  order  that  the  elimination  from  the  upper  grades  may  be 
reduced,  vocational  courses  should  be  given  in  the  seventh  grade, 
and  in  some  schools,  probably  in  the  sixth.  It  may  as  well  be 
recognized  that  some  of  the  pupils  in  those  grades  will  not  complete 
a  high  school  course,  and  these  are  the  very  ones  who  need  some 
vocational  training  in  order  that  they  may  engage  in  some  semi- 
skilled occupation  on  leaving  school. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  this  change  would  result  in  more 
pupils  going  to  high  schools.  Pupils  soon  tire  of  a  course  made  up 
entirely  of  paper  work.  They  are  unable  to  see  the  value  of  the 
work  done  in  school,  as  it  has  little  connection  with  their  daily 
lives.  If  the  pupil  could  be  convinced  that  their  earning  capacity 
was  being  increased  in  direct  proportion  to  the  time  spent  in  school, 
the  elimination  would  be  much  smaller. 

Organization  of  the  schools  so  as  to  provide  for  junior  high 
school  work,  on  the  6-3-3  plan,  would  strengthen  the  Negro  schools. 
This  organization  has  been  introduced  in  some  of  the  Negro  schools, 
but  mot  to  the  same  extent  as  in  the  White  schools. 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES  34l 

In  the  tcrwn  and  city  schools,  the  average  annual  cost  per  pupil 
is  $33.66  in  the  case  of  the  white  pupils  in  the  first  eight  grades, 
and  $35.00  in  the*  case  of  the  colored  pupils.  The  figures  for  the- 
grades  9-12  are:  white  pupils  $82.93,  colored  $96.43.  The* 
higher  cost  in  the  colored  high  schools  is  due  to  the  smaller  num- 
ber of  pupils  enrolled.  The  number  is  so  much  larger  in  the  case 
of  the  white  schools,  that  the  white  and  colored  schools  can  hardly 
be  compared  on  this  basis. 

In  the  town  and  city  schools  the  value  of  elementary  school 
plants  is  $21,338,747,  and  of  high  school  plants  $17,185,322,  a  total 
of  $38,524,071,  in  the  case  of  the  white  schools;  the  value  of  the 
colored  elementary  school  plants  is  $729,053,  and  the  high  school 
plants  $375,239,  a  total  of  $1,104,292. 

Table  56  shows  the  enrollment,  teachers,  and  pupils  per  teacher 
for  elementary  and  high  school  grades  of  white  and  colored  schools 
of  independent  districts. 

TABLE  56. 

Enrollment,  Teachers  and  Pupils  Per  Teacher  in  White  and 
Colored  Schools  of  Independent  Districts. 

White  Schools 

Grades  Enrollment  Teachers      Pupils  per  Teacher 

1-8  194,306  4,683  41.6 

9-12  40,085  2,117  18.9 

Total  234,391  6,800  34.4 

Colored  Schools 

1-8  16,277  379  44.9 

9-12  1,323  102  12.9 

Total  17,600  481  36.6 

SPECIAL  ACTIVITIES  AIDED  BY  EDUCATIONAL  FOUND- 
ATIONS 

A  considerable  part  of  the  time  of  the  Rural  School  Agent, 
whose  salary  and  expenses  are  paid  by  the  General  Education 
Board,  has  been  devoted  to  the  following  activities  in  which  aid 
has  been  secured  from  the  Julius  Rosenwald  Fund,  the  John  F. 
Slater  Fund,  the  Anna  T.  Jeanes  Fund,  and  the  General  Education 
Board. 

In  1920-21  and  in  1921-22,  $19,430  was  secured  from  the  Julius 
Rosenwald  Fund  to  aid  in  building  model  school  buildings  for  Ne- 
groes. This  money  was  given  especially  for  the  improvement  of 
village  and  rural  schools.  The  plans  and  specifications  must  be 


342  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

approved  in  advance ;  the  money  given  is  for  complete  school  plant, 
including  desks,  blackboards,  heaters,  etc. ;  and  the  school  must  be 
the  property  of  the  public  school  authorities. 

This  building  program  has  been  carried  on  under  the  supervision 
of  the  Rural  School  Agent  who  inspects  the  buildings  before  final 
payment  of  the  Rosenwald  money  is  made.  Every  school — even  the 
one-teacher  school — has  an  industrial  room.  The  buildings  are  cor- 
rectly lighted  and  ventilated,  and  the  local  and  Rosenwald  funds 
spent  on  these  buildings  have  produced  visible  results.  Due  to  the 
superior  building  and  equipment,  the  teaching  in  these  schools  is 
naturally  much  better  than  that  in  the  average  rural  school.  The 
industrial  work  has  added  a  great  deal  to  the  school  program. 
County  superintendents  and  district  directors  have  made  special 
effort  to  secure  capable  teachers  for  these  schools. 

The  conditions  under  which  aid  is  given  from  the  Julius  Rosen- 
wald Fund  are  set  forth  in  Appendix  C. 

The  following  figures  show  the  types  of  buildings,  and  money 
invested  in  them,  during  the  year  ending  June  30,  1922. 

Type  Number  Total  Cost  Amount  from  Average 

No.  of  Built  Rosenwald  Cost 
Teachers 

1  4  $  7,519  $2,000  $  1,880 

2  6  24,985  4,800  4,194 

3  I  12,023  1,000  12,023 

4  3  33,499  3,600  11,166 
6  2  47,386  3,200  23,693 
Homes  1  1,660  830  1,660 

On  account  of  the  " separate  school"  organization,  and  the 
financial  limitations  imposed  by  it,  very  few  Rosenwald  schools 
have  been  built,  as  compared  with  the  number  built  in  some  of  the 
other  States. 

At  present  five  vocational  high  schools,  or  county  training 
schools,  are  receiving  $1300  a  year  (1922-23)  for  industrial  equip- 
ment, and  $600  for  teachers'  salaries  from  the  General  Education 
Board.  The  total  amount  given  these  schools  for  salaries,  from  the 
Slater  Fund,  is  $1,250  in  1922-23.  The  schools  aided  are:  Lima, 
Seminole  County;  Lincoln  School,  Carter  County;  Red  Bird, 
Wagoner  County ;  Rentiersville,  Mclntosh  County ;  and  Richland,  in 
McCurtain  County.  The  object  of  these  schools  is  to  give  the  Negro 
boys  and  girls  some  real  preparation  for  the  work  they  will  do  on 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES  343 

leaving  school.  All  the  schools  have  suitable  buildings  and  com- 
petent teachers.  All  have  high  school  departments. 

The  sum  of  $1,000  is  given  by  the  Jeanes  Fund.  This  is  used 
at  present  to  pay  $50.00  a  month  for  ten  months,  on  the  salaries  of 
two  industrial  supervisors, — one  in  Wagoner  and  one  in  Carter 
County.  The  money  is  matched  by  local  appropriation.  This 
work  has  been  a  great  success  and  has  reached  so  many  pupils  and 
teachers,  that  the  per  capita  cost  has  been  very  small.  These  su- 
pervisors, acting  as  assistants  to  the  county  superintendents,  visit 
all  the  Negro  schools  and  teach  handicrafts,  such  as  basketry,  rug 
making,  mat  making,  simple  manual  training,  plain  sewing,  and 
elementary  cooking.  They  have  also  carried  on  a  school  improve- 
ment program. 

The  good  results  secured  by  these  workers  were  very  much  in 
evidence  when  the  schools  of  these  two  counties  were  inspected.  If 
similar  workers  could  be  provided  for  the  15  counties  having  the 
largest  Negro  rural  population,  there  would  be  a  great  increase  in 
the  efficiency  of  the  rural  Negro  schools.  This  Jeanes  Fund  work 
originated  in  the  State  of  Virginia  and  has  been  such  a  success  there 
that  it  is  now  carried  on  in  45  counties,  many  of  the  supervisors 
being  paid  altogether  from  public  funds. 

FARM  AND  HOME  DEMONSTRATION  WORK 

The  colored  farm  and  home  demonstration  work  in  Oklahoma 
is  under  the  direction  of  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College 
at  Stillwater,  as  is  the  similar  work  for  white  people.  A  colored 
agent,  who  has  the  rank  of  a  district  agent,  has  direct  supervision 
of  the  county  work  in  the  State.  This  work  is  carried  on  in 
co-operation  with  the  Federal  Government,  under  the  Smith-Lever 
Act,  and  the  salaries  of  the  county  agents  and  home  demonstration 
agents  are  paid  from  State  and  Federal  funds.  The  counties  of 
Okfuskee,  Lincoln,  Okmulgee,  and  Muskogee  have  both  men  and 
women  agents.  The  counties  of  McCurtain,  Seminole,  Logan, 
Mclntosh,  and  Kingfisher  have  men  agents. 

It  is  expected  that  funds  will  be  provided  by  the  excise  boards 
for  travelling  expenses.  In  order  for  this  work  to  be  done  properly, 
it  is  necessary  for  these  agents  to  go  over  the  counties  continually. 
The  excise  boards  in  Okfuskee,  Muskogee,  and  Lincoln  provide 
$1,000  a  year,  or  $500.00  for  each  agent.  In  Seminole  and  Lincoln 
$600.00  is  provided ;  while  $800.00  is  provided  in  Okmulgee.  This 
work  is  not  as  liberally  supported  locally  as  the  work  for  white 


344  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

people.  This  valuable  work,  which  is  even  more  needed  by  the 
Negroes  than  by  the  White  people,  has  been  handicapped  to  some 
extent  by  lack  of  local  support. 

The  counties  that  now  have  county  agents  only  should  have 
home  demonstration  agents  also.  The  sum  of  $900.00  should  be 
provided  for  each  county  agent's  travelling  expense,  and  $750.00 
for  each  home  demonstration  agent.  Practically  all  the  counties 
where  the  Negro  population  makes  up  ten  per  cent,  or  more,  of  the 
total,  except  Tulsa,  where  the  Negro  population  is  almost  wholly 
urban,  should  secure  agents. 

The  counties  of  Oklahoma  are  large  and  these  agents  should 
not  be  expected  to  work  outside  of  their  counties.  On  account 
of  the  small  Negro  population  in  some  counties,  one  agent  might  be 
employed  for  two  counties.  For  example,  farm  and  home  demon- 
stration agents  could  be  employed  for  Garvin  and  McClain  Counties, 
the  excise  boards  each  providing  half  the  necessary  travel  expense. 

This  work  is  young  in  Oklahoma  and  the  State  authorities 
deserve  praise  for  what  has  already  been  done.  Satisfactory  sal- 
aries are  paid  these  agents  and  efficient  men  and  women  have  been 
secured.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  work  will  continue  to  expand, 
and  additional  State  funds  should  be  provided  if  necessary.  No 
money  spent  for  the  development  of  agriculture  will  yield  more  real 
results  per  dollar  invested. 

RETARDED  PUPILS  IN  NEGRO  SCHOOLS. 

One  of  the  most  serious  problems  in  the  Negro  schools  is  the 
problem  of  retardation — pupils  being  older  than  they  should  be, 
for  the  grades  they  are  in.  The  common  cause  of  this,  of  course, 
is  the  repeating  of  grades  by  many  pupils.  Some  pupils  do  not 
enter  school  until  they  are  older  than  they  should  be.  In  city  schools 
some  of  the  retardation  is  due  to  pupils  being  already  "retard- 
ed" or  over-age,  for  their  grades,  when  they  enter  the  school.  In 
all  the  schools,  and  especially  in  the  rural  schools,  the  chief  cause  of 
retardation  is  irregular  attendance.  Little  attention  given  pupils 
by  the  teacher,  due  to  the  large  number  of  pupils  per  teacher,  in 
some  schools,  or  in  some  grades,  results  in  pupils  taking  two  years 
to  complete  a  grade. 

Table  57  shows  the  amount  of  retardation  in  51  Negro  schools 
of  the  State. 


EDUCATION  OF  NEGKOES 


345 


TABLE   57.— AGE-GRADE  ENROLLMENT  IN   51   NEGRO   SCHOOLS— 

OKLAHOMA. 


Per  cent  of 

Per  cent  of 

Per  cent  of 

Total 

Per  cent 

Grade 

No. 

Total  in  grade 

No. 

Total  in  grade 

No. 

Total  in  grade 

in 

of 

under  age 

normal  age 

over  age 

Grade 

Total 

A.  Boys. 

Kdg. 

8 

7.8 

54 

52.4 

41 

39.8 

103 

5.0 

1 

15 

2.  4 

290 

47.2 

310 

50.4 

615 

30.3 

2 

6 

2.2 

84 

31.5 

177 

66.3 

267 

13.2 

3 

17 

6.1 

66 

23.8 

194 

70.1 

277 

13.7 

4 

5 

2.0 

43 

17.0 

205 

.81.0 

253 

12.5 

5 

7 

3.3 

42 

19.8 

163 

76.9 

212' 

10.5 

6 

7 

8.1 

20 

23.3 

59 

.        68.6 

86 

4.2 

7 

5 

4.7 

21 

19.8 

80 

75.5 

106 

5.2 

8 

12 

15.8 

18 

23.7 

46 

60.5 

76 

3.7 

9 

0 

8 

33.3 

16 

66.7 

24 

1.2 

10 

0 

1 

16.7 

5 

83.3 

6 

.3 

11 

0 

0 

1 



1 

.1 

12 

0 



1 

100.0 

0 

1 

.1 

Total 

82 

4.0 

648 

32.0 

1297 

64.0 

2'027 

100.0 

B.  Girls. 

Kdg. 

4 

5.6 

37 

51.4 

31 

43.0 

72 

3.4 

1 

18 

3.1 

322 

5,6.3 

232 

40.6 

572 

27.0 

2 

9 

3.4 

94 

34.9 

166 

61.7 

269 

12.7 

3 

11 

4.2 

91 

34.3 

163 

61.5 

265 

12.5 

4 

11 

4.0 

62 

22.6 

201 

73.4 

274 

12.9 

5 

9 

4.4 

49 

24.0 

146 

71.6 

204 

9.6 

6 

2 

1.3 

41 

27.0 

109 

71.7 

152 

7.2 

7 

6 

4.4 

30 

22'.1 

100 

73.5 

136 

6.4 

8 

6 

5.1 

26 

22.2 

85 

72.7 

117 

5.5 

9 

2 

5.9 

6 

17.6 

26 

76.5 

34 

l.( 

10 

2 

13.3 

9 

60.0 

4 

26.7 

15 

.7 

11 

0 

3 

37.5 

5 

66.7 

8 

.4 

12 

0 

.... 

1 

33.3 

2 

66.7 

3 

.1 

Total 

80 

3.8 

771 

36.3 

1270 

59.9 

2121 

100.0 

C.  Boys  and  Girls. 

Kdg. 

12 

6.9 

91 

52.0 

72 

41.1 

175 

4.2 

1 

33 

2.8 

612 

5,1.5 

542 

45.7 

1187 

28.6 

2 

15 

2.8 

178 

33.2 

343 

64.0 

536 

13.0 

3 

28 

5.2 

157 

28.9 

357 

65.9 

542 

13.3 

4 

16 

3.0 

105 

20.0 

406 

77.0 

527 

12.5 

5 

16 

3.8 

19 

21.9 

309 

74.3 

416 

10.0 

6 

9 

3.8 

61 

25.6 

168 

70.6 

238 

5.7 

7 

11 

4.5 

51 

21.1 

180 

74.4 

242 

5.8 

8 

18 

9.3 

44 

22.8 

131 

67.9 

193 

4.7 

9 

2 

3.5 

14 

24.1 

42 

72.4 

58 

1.4 

10 

2 

9.5 

10 

47.6 

9 

42.9 

21 

0.5 

11 

0 

.... 

3 

33.3 

6 

66.7 

9 

0.2 

12 

0 

.... 

2 

50.0 

2 

50.0 

4 

0.1 

Total     162 


3.9 


1419 


34.2 


2567 


61.9 


4148 


100.0 


346  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

SOME  CAUSES  OF  INEFFICIENCY  IN  NEGRO  SCHOOLS. 

At  present  much  of  the  money  being  spent  on  Negro  schools 
each  year  is  being  wasted,  because  satisfactory  results  are  not  be- 
ing secured.  Whatever  money  is  spent  on  Negro  schools,  whether 
much  or  litttle,  should  be  spent  in  such  a  way  as  to  help  the  chil- 
dren— really  to  educate  them,  and  to  give  them,  as  far  as  possible, 
some  training  for  the  work  they  will  do  on  leaving  school.  The 
children  should  be  given  command  of  the  fundamental  processes 
first  of  all.  But  it  will  not  do  for  the  schools  to  stop  with  even 
satisfactory  training  in  reading,  spelling,  arithmetic,  and  other  pup- 
lie  school  subjects.  A  course  of  study  made  up  entirely  of  paper- 
work is  not  suited  to  the  rural  Negro  schools,  or  to  those  in  cities 
and  towns.  It  is  only  reasonable  to  suppose  that  a  course  of  study 
better  related  to  the  home  life,  needs,  and  interests  of  the  pupils 
would  cause  better  attendance,  and  would  result  in  more  children 
staying  in  school  through  the  eighth  grade. 

One  of  the  most  conspicuous  defects  in  the  rural  schools,  espec- 
ially in  the  separate  schools,  which  enroll  most  of  the  Negro  children, 
is  the  lack  of  suitable  buildings  and  equipment.  Until  this  is  rem- 
edied, no  great  improvement  can  be  expected.  Most  of  the  schools 
observed  were  poorly  lighted,  badly  ventilated,  and,  in  many  in- 
stances, have  practically  no  equipment.  The  buildings  are  so  poor 
that  they  represent  practically  no  investment,  and  some  are  rented. 
Churches  are  used  in  some  instances.  The  district  schools  are,  as 
a  group,  much  better,  but  a  large  per  cent  of  these  should  be  re- 
placed by  modern  buildings. 

The  fact  that  many  Negro  tenants  move  from  one  part  of 
the  county  to  the  other,  makes  it  difficult  to  make  permanent  lo- 
cations for  these  schools.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose,  however,  that 
the  building  of  good  schools,  would  to  some  extent  reduce  this 
moving.  The  best  class  of  tenants,  white  or  colored,  are  interested 
in  good  schools,  and  are  slow  to  move  from  a  community  where 
there  is  a  good  school,  to  one  where  the  school  is  poor.  There  is 
a  great  need  for  a  building  program,  carried  on  with  State  aid,  in 
cooperation  with  counties  and  districts,  so  that  eventually  the  pres- 
ent type  of  separate  school  building  will  be  eliminated. 

IRREGULAR  ATTENDANCE  A  CAUSE  OF  SERIOUS  LOSS. 

The  poor  attendance  is  an  important  factor  in  making  the 
schools  inefficient.  From  supposing  that  the  schools  are  effective, 
so  far  as  those  pupils  in  average  attendance  is  concerned,  there 


EDUCATION    OF   NEGROES  347 

would  be  a  great  loss  in  inefficiency  due  to  so  many  pupils  being 
out  of  school  part  of  the  time.  The  causes  of  this  arem  any — un- 
attractive, uncomfortable  buildings,  lack  of  attention  from  the  teach- 
er, failure  of  the  school  work  to  interest  the  pupil — these  may  be 
mentioned,  as  well  as  economic  causes. 

The  school  cannot  help  those  pupils  who  do  not  attend  with  suf- 
ficient regularity  to  make  some  progress.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
these  pupils  who  attend  irregularly  slow  up  the  school  work,  and 
make  the  schools  less  effective  for  those  who  do  attend  every  day. 
It  has  already  been  shown  that  in  the  independent,  or  town  and  city 
schools,  the  attendance  is  65.8  per  cent;  in  the  village  schools  59.6 
per  cent ;  and-in  the  rural  schools  53.6  per  cent.  Obviously  such  con- 
ditions need  to  be  changed. 

The  lack  of  supervision  is  another  thing  that  makes  the  Negro 
schools  ineffective.  A  county  superintendent  cannot,  without  as- 
sistance, be  expected  to  supervise  all  the  schools — white  and  colored 
— in  a  county.  The  counties  of  Oklahoma  are  too  large.  The 
supervision  of  the  white  schools  alone  would  take  all  of  one  super- 
intendent's time,  and  more,  if  properly  done.  City  school  systems — 
at  least  the  best  ones — have  supervisors,  and  certainly  the  rural 
schools  need  such  help  and  direction  as  a  supervisor  could  give. 
Well  trained  and  experienced  women  teachers,  who  have  taught 
successfully  in  rural  schools,  should  be  employed  for  this  work. 
This  would  add  greatly  to  the  value  of  the  school  work.  The  money 
spent  for  this  would  probably  yield  greater  immediate  returns,  in 
educational  results  per  dollar,  than  money  spent  for  anything  else, 
at  present. 

There  is  great  need  for  improvement  in  the  teaching  of  the  pri- 
mary grades — the  first  four  grades — where  most  of  the  pupils  are. 
This  is  true  to  the  same  extent  in  both  rural  and  urban  schools. 

An  effective  education  program  will  demand  more  money  than 
is  now  being  spent,  especially  on  the  schools  now  operated  as  sepa- 
rate schools.  The  cities  should  not  be  handicapped  in  providing 
needed  buildings  and  equipment  for  Negro  schools,  as  they  are 
now. 

GREATER  DEVELOPMENT  OF  VOCATIONAL  COURSES 

NEEDED. 

In  recognition  of  the  fact  that  economic  pressure  will  cause 
many  pupils  in  cities,  especially  boys,  to  leave  school  at  an  early 
age,  with  no  preparation  for  earning  a  livelihood,  ample  provision 


348  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

should  be  made  for  part-time  schools,  continuation  schools  and  even- 
ing schools.  In  this  way  many  boys  who  cannot  receive  trade  train- 
ing in  school,  could  receive  it  while  employed,  after  their  school 
days  are  over.  The  labor  of  these  boys  can  be  made  of  much  value 
to  themselves  and  to  the  State,  because  their  labor  will  be  skilled 
and  will  create  more  wealth.  This  will  make  for  industrial  efficien- 
cy and  will  lessen  poverty.  Under  the  Smith-Hughes  Act,  work  of 
this  kind  has  already  been  begun  for  white  people  in  some  of  the 
cities. 

The  Negro  schools  have  suffered  because  no  State  school  su- 
pervisor has  given  his  entire  time  to  improving  them.  The  rural 
school  agent  has  been  devoting  half  his  time  to  this  work,  and  has 
secured  excellent  results.  The  Negro  schools,  however,  should 
be  supervised  and  directed,  in  cooperation  with  county  superintend- 
ents, by  a  State  school  officer,  who  gives  all  his  time  to  that 
work. 

The  State  school  at  Langston  should  be  given  suitable  equip- 
ment and  buildings,  and  should  be  properly  supported  by  the  State. 
Otherwise,  many  colored  students  from  Oklahoma  will  be  forced 
to  go  outside  the  State,  as  they  are  now  doing,  for  educational  facili- 
ties that  should  be  provided  by  Oklahoma. 

The  facilities  for  the  training  of  Negro  teachers  are  not  adequate. 
There  are  six  State  normal  schools  for  white  people.  Many  teach- 
ers are  secured  by  the  white  schools  from  the  State  University  and 
from  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  at  Stillwater.  There 
are  a  number  of  private  or  denominational  colleges  that  train  teach- 
ers for  the  white  schools, — for  instance  Tulsa  University,  and  Phil- 
lips University.  At  present,  the  facilities  for  training  Negro  teach- 
ers at  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University,  at  Lang- 
ston, are  entirely  insufficient.  There  are,  on  the  average  60  White 
high  schools  in  the  State  each  year  that  give  normal  training.  There 
are  only  four  Negro  high  schools  that  provide  such  training.  The 
school  at  Langston  should  be  provided  with  dormitories  and  teach- 
ing force,  such  that  enough  teachers  can  be  trained  each  year  to 
meet  the  needs  of  Oklahoma's  Negro  public  schools. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

It  is  assumed  that  all  recommendations  of  a  general  nature  in 
other  Chapters  of  this  Survey  Report  will  apply  to  both  white  and 
colored  schools. 


EDUCATION    OF   NEGROES  349 

(1)  The  white  and  colored  schools,  both  city  and  rural,  should 
be  supported  financially  in  the  same  manner. 

(2)  A  State  supervisor  of  Negro  schools  should  be  employed 
to  give  his  full  time  to  the  betterment  of  Negro  schools  in  the  State. 
This  supervisor  should  be  appointed  by  the  State  superintendent 
of  public  instruction,  and  should  be  paid  not  less  than  $3,000  per 
year,  and  allowed  at  least  $1,200  for  travel  expense. 

(3)  The  course  of  study  in  Negro  schools,  both  city  and  rural, 
should  be  made  more  practical,  and  should  be  more  closely  related 
to  the  life  and  needs  of  the  pupils. 

(4)  In  those  15  counties  having  the  largest  rural  Negro  popu- 
lations, county  industrial  supervisors  should  be  appointed  to  work 
as  assistants  to  the  county  superintendents,  in  order  that  the  work 
in  the  Negro  rural  schools  may  be  of  more  value  to  the  pupils.    The 
work  of  these  supervisors  should  be  similar  to  that  of  the  Jeanes 
Fund  workers  in  Carter  and  Wagoner  Counties,  and  in  other  States. 
A  salary  of  not  less  than  $1,500  should  be>  paid,  and  the  worker  em- 
ployed for  12  months.     These  supervising  teachers  should  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  county  superintendents,  subject  to  the  approval  of 
the  State  supervisor  of  Negro  schools.     In  order  to  induce  the 
counties  to  employ  these  workers,  half  the  salary  should  be  paid 
by  the  State.    An  appropriation  of  $11,250  will  be  required  for  this. 
Well-trained  and  experienced  colored  women  teachers  should  be 
secured  for  this  work. 

(5)  No  more  one-teacher  schools  should  be  built,  or  operated, 
than  is  absolutely  necessary.     As  far  as  possible,   consolidations 
should  be  effected,  so  that  the  children  may  be  taught  in  schools 
having  two  or  more  teachers. 

(6)  Where  conditions  make  a  one-teacher  school  necessary, 
the  school  should  have  an  industrial  room  as  well  as  a  large  class- 
room, and  should  be  equipped  so  that  the  teacher  may  have  plenty 
of  material  to  work  with. 

(7)  A  State  appropritaion  should  be  made  to  match  the  Fed- 
eral funds  now  available  for  the  teaching  of  vocational  agriculture 
under  the  Smith-Hughes  Act.    Thus  if  $5,000  is  available,  the  State 
should  set  aside  an  equal  amount.    Since  this  money  is  matched  by 
local  funds,  the  total  amount  then  available  would  be  $20,000. 

(8)  In  order  to  encourage  the  teaching  of  vocational  home 
economics,  a  State  appropriation  of  $10,000  should  be  made,  to  pay 
one-half  the  salaries  of  teachers  in  State  approved  rural  schools. 
This  work  should  be  under  the  direction  of  the  State  supervisor 


350  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

of  home  economics,  and  at  least  90  minutes  per  day  should  be  de- 
voted to  the  work.  This  amount  would  be  sufficient  to  provide  for 
20  schools,  with  an  average  salary  of  $1,000. 

(9)  The  State  colleges  for  Negroes,  either  at  Langston  or  at 
some  other  location,  should  be  provided  with  dormitories  and  a 
teaching  staff,  such  that  an  adequate  supply  of  teachers  for  Okla- 
homa's schools,  may  be  trained  in  the  State. 

(10)  In  addition  to  providing  for  a  supply  of  teachers,  a  col- 
lege department  should  be   developed  at  the   State   college — now 
the   Colored  Normal   and  Agricultural  University,  in   order  that 
those  students  who  expect  to  engage  in  other  professions  may  re- 
ceive college  training  without  having  to  leave  the  State. 

(11)  A  policy  of  State  aid  in  the  building  of  rural  schools 
should  be  inaugurated,  and  an    initial    appropriation    of    $25,000 
should  be  made  for  the  first  year.    Aid  should  be  given  on  the  same 
conditions  under  which  aid  from  the  Rosenwald  Fund  is  secured. 
This  would  insure  proper  use  of  the  State  money,  and  would  insure 
the  proper  design  and  construction  of  rural  schools. 

(12)  Provision  should  be  made  for  giving  additional  training, 
especially  along  vocational  lines,  to  those  boys  and  girls  who  are 
forced  to  leave  school  before  completing  the  high  school  course. 
By  means  of  evening  schools  in  cities,  for  example,  many  of  these 
boys  and  girls  can  be  reached. 

(13)  The  high  school  course  in  a  city  school  should  include 
at  least  one  vocational  course,  designed  to  prepare  students  for 
some  definite  occupation  open  to  them  in  the  city. 

(14)  An  effort  should  be  made  to  make  the  work  in  primary 
grades  more  effective,  especially  in  city  and  town  schools.     This 
can  be  done  by  securing  better  primary  teachers,  by  employing  more 
teachers,  so  that  there  will  be  fewer  pupils  per  teacher  in  the  first 
four  grades,  and  through  supervision  by  the  superintendent  or  a 
primary  supervisor. 

(15)  In  order  that  at  least  one  vocational  high  school  may  be 
developed  in  each  of  the  15  counties  having  the  largest  Negro  rural 
population,  it  is  recommended  that  the  State  aid  one  school  in  each 
county  to  the  extent  of  $1,000  per  year.    The  schools  aided  should 
be  recommended  by  county  superintendents,  and  approved  by  the 
State  department  of  public  instruction,  as  to  location,  building,  lo- 
cal support,  equipment,  and  teaching  force.    A  State  appropriation 
of  $15,000  would  be  necessary  for  this.    Every  school  should  be  in- 
spected and  approved,   or  disapproved,  each  year,  in  order  that 
proper  standards  may  be  maintained. 


CHAPTEK  XI. 
EDUCATIONAL  TESTS  AND  MEASUREMENTS. 

During  the  months  of  April  and  May  a  comprehensive  series  of 
tests  was  given  to  selected  groups  of  children,  in  all  types  of  public 
schools,  in  all  sections  of  the  State,  by  a  group  of  Oklahoma  educa- 
tors, under  the  direction  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education. 
The  committee  was  organized  by  Dean  W.  W.  Phelan,  College  of 
Education,  University  of  Oklahoma,  who  served  as  chairman  until 
his  departure  from  the  State.  He  was  then  succeeded  by  Henry  D. 
Rinsland,  director  of  educational  research,  public  schools  of  Ard- 
more. 

Table  58  shows  the  number  of  pupils  tested,  and  the  counties 
and  cities  in  which  the  tests  were  given. 

TABLE  58.— NUMBER  OF  PUPILS  TESTED,  AND  CITIES  AND 
COUNTIES  REPRESENTED. 

County  City  Number  of  Pupils 

Adair  '. 583 

Carter Ardmore....: 2,324 

Choctaw 751 

Craig  Vinita 926 

Creek    Drumright 1,176 

Custer Clinton 604 

Ellis 856 

Garfield  3,243 

Jackson  5,967 

Kay Ponca  City 1,299 

Love   Marietta 393 

Oklahoma  Luther 206 

Okmulgee   Okmulgee 2,250 

Pittsburg 827 

McAlester  280 

Hartshorne  509 

Haileyville  461 

Total 2,077 

351 


352 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


Pottawatomie  1,806 

Tulsa Glenpool 359 

Washington  1034 

Dewey  633 


Total 1,667 


TOTAL   

Indian  Schools  ... 


..26,487 
358 


TOTAL 26,845 

A  summary  of  the  scores  made  by  pupils  is  given  in  Table  59. 

TABLE  59 

SUMMARY  OF  SCORES  MADE  IN  TESTS  IN  OKLAHOMA  EDUCATIONAL 

SURVEY. 


A  condensed  summary  of  scores  made  by  pupils  in  educational  and 
psychological  tests,  April  and  May,  1922.  Tests  given  and  results  tabulated 
by  a  committee  of  Oklahoma  educators,  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  W.  W. 
Phelan,  Chairman. 

Abbreviations 

Figures  at  head  of  vertical  columns  indicate  Grades. 

Med — median  score  made  by  group  reported. 

No — number  of  pupils  tested. 

Att — number  of  examples   attempted    (Courtis  Arithmetic). 

PC — per  cent  of  correct  answers  (Courtis  Arithmetic). 


Spelling 


Ashbaugh  Spelling  Scale:   Median 
3  4 


scores,  percentage. 
5  6 


Schools 

Rural 

Consolidated 

Towns 

Cities 

State 

Standard 


Schools 

Rural 

Consolidated 

Towns 

Cities 

State 

Standard 


Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

80.0 

627 

72.1 

691 

63.8 

580 

62.3 

522 

55.0 

413 

83.8 

469 

76.0 

468 

62.3 

451 

64.9 

457 

51.1 

402 

79.8 

477 

75.5 

421 

65.3 

388 

63.7 

375 

72.8 

375 

86.0 

1,474 

80.3 

1,357 

72.5. 

1,253 

69.2  1 

,154 

67.5 

1,021 

3,047 



2,937 



2,772 

2 

,508 



2,211 

73.0 

73.0 

73.0 

73.0 

73.0 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

55.1 

488 

60.0 

50 

62.0 

22 

86.0 

16 

88.0 

6 

57.8 

380 

66.0 

126 

73.0 

70 

81.5 

57 

84.0 

31 

59.0 

327 

65.3 

202 

71.2 

165 

77.0 

144 

80.4 

99 

60.6 

1,057 

71.7 

883 

79.2 

673 

87.0 

467 

90.1 

290 



2,252 

1,261 

930 

684 

426 

73.0 

EDUCATIONAL  TESTS  AND   MEASUREMENTS 


353 


S.  S.  12 


354                                  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Reading 

Haggerty  Reading  Test,  Sigma  I:  Median  scores,  by  grades. 
123 
Schools               Med       No       Med       No       Med       No 
Rural                       4.3        174         7.6        206       24.0          52 
Consolidated         5.9        240       12.8        2'06        
Towns                      7.6        195       12.6        225        

Cities 
State 
Standard 

9.1 
9.0 
4.0 

1,047 
1,656 

17.9 
15.0 
12.0 

866 
1,503 

28.6 
28.6 
16.0 

258 
310 

Thorndike-McCall  Reading  Test:    Ability   of  pupils  by   "Reading 
Ages"  in  months,  by  Grades,  Median  scores. 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

Schools 

Med 

No 

Med       No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Rural 

30.9 

333 

38.2 

645 

43.8 

520 

47.6 

455 

51.3 

369 

Consolidated 

34.5 

350 

39.1 

355 

43.7 

374 

47.0 

346 

50.8 

337 

Towns 

35.0 

471 

39.4 

434 

44.0 

376 

47.2 

356 

51.7 

554 

Cities 

36.1 

1,2'24 

42.0 

1,123 

47.2 

1,042 

50.8     1 

,119 

54.6 

944 

State 

2,378 

2,557 

2,312 

2 

,276 



2,204 

'Standard 

34.9 

39.8 

46.1 



56.2      . 



54.6 



8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

Schools 

Med 

No 

Med       No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Rural 

53.5 

467 

53.0 

50 

59.0 

12 

63.0 

14 

63.0 

6 

Consolidated 

52.3 

324 

58.5, 

131 

60.4 

74 

60.5 

53 

61.5 

52 

Towns 

53.8 

308 

57.4 

202 

59.5 

152 

60.0 

128 

61.7 

82 

Cities 

56.5 

981 

59.6 

917 

61.6 

687 

63.5 

448 

67.5 

320 

State 



2,080 



1,300 

925 

643 

460 

Standard 

57.7 

61.8 

63.2 

64.9 

67.4 

Handwriting 

Ayres 

Handwriting  Scale:  Median  scores  in 

Rate  (R),  and  Quality  (Q), 

by  Grades. 

3 

4 

5 

Schools 

R 

Q 

No 

R 

Q 

No 

R 

Q 

No 

Rural 

47.5 

28.8 

393 

54.0 

33.9 

385 

71.3 

39.3 

449 

Consolidated 

45.7 

31.1 

292 

51.3 

34.4 

335 

63.4 

22.1 

373 

Towns 

34.1 

26.4 

274 

49.7 

34.9 

262 

64.0 

36.1 

291 

Cities 

51.1 

33.5 

1,032 

58.7 

37.1     1,081 

65.5 

43.5 

1,118 

State 

1,991 

2 

,063 

2,227 

Standard 

43.0 

40.0 

50.0 

45.0 

59.0 

50.0 

(56  Cities) 

6 

7 

8 

9 

Schools 

R 

Q 

No 

R 

Q 

No 

R         Q 

No 

R 

Q 

No 

Rural 

68.6 

33.4 

453 

74.9 

43.0 

374     78.6     47.0 

432 

100.0 

62.0 

31 

Consol. 

80.2 

39.5 

402 

75.2' 

42.6 

430     83.9     45.4 

358 

86.9 

51.5 

43 

Towns 

75.6 

39.0 

386 

80.0 

46.6 

296     83 

.8     49.1 

254 

71.9 

41.2' 

65 

Cities 

76.1 

46.1 

1,119 

90.3 

70.0 

624     87.5     61.^8 

773 

78.1 

56.1 

310 

State 

2,360 

1 

,72*4 

1,817 

449 

St'd'd. 

63.0 

56.0 

68.0 

62.0 

73 

.0     66.0 

10 

11 

12 

Schools 

R 

Q 

No 

R 

Q 

No 

R 

Q 

No 

Rural 

105.0 

70.0 

12 

22.5 

62.5 

7 

70.0 

55.0 

2 

Consolidated 

105.0 

48.6 

26 

100.0 

52'.5 

19     107.5, 

55.0 

14 

Towns 

73.6 

60.0 

30 

74.6 

55.0 

29 

80.0 

60.0 

16 

Cities 

90.00 

54.7 

227 

93.7 

51.0 

212     107.7 

62.0 

149 

State 





295 





267 





181 

Standard 

........ 

• 



EDUCATIONAL  TESTS  AND   MEASUREMENTS 


355 


English  Composition 

Hudelson   Composition    Test: 
3  4 


Median   scores,    by   Grades. 
5  6 


Schools 

Med       No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Rural 

2.3        195 

2.7 

613 

3.3 

558 

4.1 

408 

4.0 

404 

Consolidated 

2.1        377 

2.6 

452 

2.9 

498 

2.9 

474 

3.9 

407 

Towns 

2.2         290 

2.6 

349 

3.0 

353 

3.8 

331 

4.2 

335 

Cities 

2.3         581 

2.8 

1,096 

3.5 

921 

4.4 

959 

4.6 

943 

State 

1,443 

2,510 

2,330 

2,172 

2,089 

Standard 

3.5 

4.0 

4  5 

5.0 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

Schools 

Med       No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

.    Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Rural 

4.5         525 

5.3 

82 

5.7 

19 

5.0 

15 

G.3 

6 

Consolidated 

4.0         405 

5.0 

2'89 

5.6 

152 

6.3 

114 

6.7 

57 

Towns 

4.9         289 

5.3 

297 

5.9 

233 

5.9 

189 

6.6 

113 

Cities 

5.3         975 

5.8 

727 

6.1 

551 

6.4 

409 

6.8 

252 

State 

2,194 

1,395 



955 



727 

428 

Standard 

5  5 

6  0 

6  5 

6  9 

7.2 

Arithmetic  — 

ADDITION 

Courtis  Standard  Arithmetic  Test,  Series  B:    Median  scores  in 

number 

of  examples  attempted 

,  and 

per  cent  of  correct  answers. 

I 

4 

5 

Schools 

Att 

PC 

No 

Att 

PC 

No 

Att 

PC 

No 

Rural 

3.9 

28.0 

111 

5.4 

36.1 

704 

5.9 

37.4 

591 

Consolidated 

4.0 

30.0 

402 

5.0 

34.3 

465 

5.4 

38.9 

484 

Towns 

4.3 

30.0 

234 

5.1 

39.2' 

438 

5.9 

42.3 

374 

Cities 

4.1 

36.7 

666 

5.4 

40.0 

1,023 

6.3 

51.5, 

919 

State 

1,413 

2,630 

2,368 

Standard 

4.0 

100.0 

6.0 

100.0 

8.0 

100.0 

6 

7 

8 

Schools 

Att 

PC 

No 

Att 

PC 

No 

Att 

PC 

No 

Rural 

6.6 

51.1 

506 

7.2 

'47.7 

471 

8.4 

58.3 

489 

Consolidated 

6.8 

48.1 

465 

8.5 

56.1 

323 

7.9 

51.0 

382 

Towns 

7.8 

50.1 

304 

7.6 

49.5 

362 

8.4 

55.5 

323 

Cities 

6.8 

55.0 

793 

7.8 

55.0 

789 

8.5 

61.9 

830 

State 





2,068 

1,945 

2,024 

Standard 

10.0 

100.0 

11.0 

100.0 

12.0 

100.0 

Arithmetic—  DIVISION 

3 

4 

5 

Schools 

Att 

PC 

No 

Att 

PC 

No 

Att 

PC 

No 

Rural 

0.8 

25.3 

99 

2.7 

25.1 

688 

3.6 

38.0 

570 

Consolidated 

3.1 

32.5 

5,22 

3.6 

38.4 

485 

Towns 

3.2 

33.2 

409 

4.0 

41.6 

343 

Cities 

0.8 

26.2 

488 

3.1 

31.7 

829 

4.1 

50.0 

886 

State 

587 

2,448 



2,324 

Standard 

4.0 

100.0 

6.0 

100.0 

6 

7 

8 

Schools 

Att 

PC 

No 

Att 

PC 

No 

Att 

PC 

No 

Rural 

4.7 

51.8 

527 

5.7 

51.7 

446 

8.2 

74.3 

499 

Consolidated 

4.2 

50.0 

409 

5.1 

57.0 

423 

7.4 

70.8 

384 

Towns 

5.1 

57.1 

335 

5.9 

60.0 

367 

8.4 

76.7 

284 

Cities 

6.7 

75.3 

954 

6.7 

77.2 

747 

8.0 

80.5 

866 

State 

2,225 

1,983 

2,033 

Standard 

8.0 

100.0 

10.0 

100.0 

11.0 

100.0 

356 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


Algebra 


Schools 


Hotz  Alegbra  Test,  Series  A:  Addition  and  subtraction 


10 


11 


12 


Med       No       Med       No       Med       No       Med       No 


Rural 

4.1 

91 

4.0 

25 

Consolidated 

4.0 

290 

4.3 

142 

4.3 

73 

3.0 

28 

Towns 

4.2 

449 

4.5 

145 

6.3 

41 

7.3 

49 

Cities 

4.6 

617 

4.5 

111 

4.4 

40 

4.9 

31 

State 

4.6 

1,447 

4.4 

423 

4.7 

154 

5.3 

108 

Standard 

5.0 

6.8 

6.8 

7.9 

(3  Months)      (6  months)  •   6  months)      (9  months) 
Hotz  Algebra  Test,  Series  A:   Equation  and  formula. 


10 


11 


12 


Schools 


Med       No       Med       No       Med       No       Med       No 


Rural 

5.5 

89 

6.3 

25 

Consolidated 

5.1 

306 

5.3 

148 

5.7 

73 

4.3 

27 

Towns 

5.8 

437 

5.6 

'205 

.  8.0 

49 

5.6 

48 

Cities 

6.1 

567 

6.4 

112 

5.0 

39 

6.0 

32 

State 

5.8 

1,399 

5.6 

490 

5.8 

161 

5.3 

107 

Standard 


4.9 


7.1 


7.1 


7.8 


(3  Months)      (6  months)     6  months)      (9  months) 


Mentality 


Haggerty  Intelligence  Test, 

,   Delta 

I:    ]V 

1 

2 

3 

Schools 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Rural 

27.7 

278 

49.5 

390 

56.8 

144 

Consolidated 

33.7 

480 

41.3 

438 

72.2 

18 

Towns 

33.0 

320 

41.4 

396 

51.8 

88 

Cities 

35.2' 

845 

55.0 

989 

74.1 

626 

State 

33.6 

1,923 

48.2 

2,213 

72.8 

876 

Standard 

35.0 

55.0 

70.0 

Median  scores. 


Mentality 


Haggerty  Intelligence  Test, 

Delta 

II:   Median  scores. 

3 

4 

5 

6 

Schools 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Rural 

30.0 

45 

44.0 

206 

65.7 

209 

74.8 

155 

Consolidated 

33.0 

451 

47.2 

417 

65.6 

366 

75.4 

399 

Towns 

46.2 

344 

51.1 

397 

65.8 

346 

79.5 

385 

Cities 

43.2 

385 

60.1 

1,047 

78.2 

904 

91.5 

827 

State 

36.5 

1,225 

54.5 

2,067 

65.8 

1,825 

83.9 

1,766 

Standard 

40.0 

60.0 

78.0 

96.0 

Schools 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Med 

No 

Rural 

90.0 

185 

102.9 

179 

106.0 

30 

Consolidated 

87.4 

300 

98.2 

327 

114.0 

23 

Towns 

93.1 

354 

104.2 

329 

116.0 

111 

Cities 

95.5 

774 

110.5 

757 

118.4 

391 

State 
Standard 


91.8     1,613     108.2     1,592     H7.0 


110.0 


120.0      130.0 


555 


Med       No 


Figures  21,  22,  and  23  presents  the  scores  in  reading  and  spell- 
ing to  illustrate  the  comparisons  between  scores  in  Oklahoma  and 
in  other  states. 


EDUCATIONAL  TESTS  AND  MEASUREMENTS 


357 


8d  grade 

STANDARD 
Rural 
Consolidated 
Towns 
Cities 

4th  Grade 

STAHDARD 
Rural 
Consolidated 

Cities 
6th  grade 

STAKDABD 
Rural 
Consolidated 
Towns 
Cities 

6th  grade 

STAHDARD 
Rural 
Consolidated 

Towns 
Cities 

7th  Grade 

STABBARD 
Rural 
Consolidated 
Towns 
Cities 

SUMMARY  OP  MEDIAN  SCORES  MADE  IS  SPBLLIHG  TEST 
OKLAHOMA  SCHOOLS,  MAY-JUHE,  19E2 

Pupils  So  ore 

627 
469 
477 
1,474 

691 
468 
4E1 
1,857 

680 
451 
888 
1,253 

52ft 
457 

375 
1,154 

4ia 
402 
875 
1,021 

1 
1 

1 
1 
I 

.  1 

'   i 

Figure  21. 


8th  Grade 

STANDARD 
Rural 
Consolidated 
Towns 
Cities 

9th  Grade 

STABDSKD 
Rural 
Consolidated 
Towns 
Cities 

(Words  used 
10th  Grade 

Rural 
Consolidated 
Towns 
Cities 

llth  Grade 

Rural 
Consolidated 
Towns 
Cities 

18th  Grade 

Rural 
Consolidated 
Towns 
Cities 

STOOI 
Pnplls 

488 
380 
327 
1,057 

*50 
126 
202 
683 

in  Grad 

22 
70 

165 
673 

16 
57 
144 
467 

6 

31 
99 
290 

[ART  OP  MEDIAN  SCORES  MADE  IN  SPELLING  TEST 
OKLAHOMA  SCHOOLS,  MAY-JDBE,  1922. 

Soore 

1 

es  10,11,18,  same  as  9th  Grade;  Standard.  73  for  9th  Grade) 

1 
1 

1 

Figure  22. 


358  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 


SDliitARY  OP  KEDIAH  SCORES  IB  READIHG  TEST:  HAGGERTY.  S.I. 

OKLAHOMA  SCHOOLS,  UAY-JDHE.  1922. 

1st  Grade 

Pupils  Soore 

STANDARD 

4  0       .1 

Rural 

174      4.3   •  !•  !!!••  1 

Consolidated 

240   5.9  •^••MOBIB^^ 

Towns 

State 

STANDARD 

Rural 
Consolidated 

Towns 
Cities 

State 
3rd  Grade 
STAHDARD 

Rural 

Towns 
Cities 

State 

Figure  23. 

Additional  data  and  comparisons  were  prepared  and  submitted 
by  the  committee  in  charge  of  the  tests,  all  of  which  were  care- 
fully considered  by  the  Survey  Staff.  The  figures  are  omitted  from 
this  report  for  reasons  of  economy  in  printing.  All  of  the  data, 
however,  including  the  original  papers  written  by  the  children,  are 
in  the  possession  of  the  committee,  and  it  is  recommended  that  the 
committee  be  requested  to  prepare  a  special  report  on  the  results 
of  the  tests  for  distribution  throughout  the  State. 


CHAPTER  XII. 
SUMMARY  OF  CONCLUSIONS  AND  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

For  the  convenience  of  the  reader  the  more  important  conclu- 
sions and  recommendations  are  brought  together  in  condensed  form. 

RESUME  OF  EDUCATIONAL  CONDITIONS. 

Of  77  county  superintendents  reporting  eight  receive  an  annual 
salary  between  $1200  and  $1500;  32  receive  between  $1500  and 
$1800;  31  between  $1800  and  $2300  and  six  receive  $3000.  The 
median  annual  salary  is  about  $1650;  the  average  term  of  service 
of  county  superintendents  now  in  office  is  3.7  years.  Approximately 
50  per  cent  of  the  county  superintendents  are  changed  at  each  bi- 
ennial election. 

Reports  from  4567  teachers  in  rural  schools  representing  49 
counties  of  the  77  counties  show  median  annual  salaries  as  follows: 
in  one-teacher  schools  between  $800  and  $900;  in  two-teacher,  con- 
solidated and  small  village  schools  between  $900  and  $1000 ;  in  three- 
teacher  schools  between  $1200  and  $1300.  In  the  same  counties  650 
rural  school  principals  reported  salaries  as  follows:  of  elementary 
schools  $1200  to  $1300;  in  high  schools  $1100  to  $1200;  in  schools 
having  both  elementary  and  high  school  grades  $1300  to  $1400 
per  year. 

The  most  serious  condition  so  far  as  salaries  of  rural  teachers 
are  concerned  is  not  in  average  or  median  salaries  but  in  the  wide 
variation  found  among  teachers  in  different  districts  and  in  differ- 
ent counties.  Data  collected  from  several  different  counties  show 
that  minimum  salaries  range  from  $180  to  $450  in  the  poor  districts 
while  the  maximum  in  rich  districts  of  the  same  counties  is  from 
$1000  to  $1650  for  white  teachers.  The  same  counties  pay  colored 
teachers  a  minimum  annual  salary  from  $100  to  $380  and  a  maximum 
varying  from  $800  to  $1000. 

Training  of  teachers:  Of  4751  white  teachers  reporting  for 
places  of  over  200  population,  300  have  had  less  than  an  eight  year 
elementary  school  training;  1729  have  had  less  than  four  years  in 
high  school  training;  2982  have  had  no  normal  training;  3022  are 
graduates  of  four  year  high  schools.  484  have  had  as  much  as  one 

359 


360  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

• 

year  in  normal  school  based  on  high  school  graduation;  402  have 
had  two  years  in  normal  school  based  on  graduation  from  high 
school;  105  have  had  three  or  four  years  in  normal  based  on  high 
school  graduation,  237  have  had  as  much  as  one  year  in  normal  not 
based  on  high  school  graduation ;  187  have  had  two  years,  354  have 
had  three  or  four  years  of  normal  not  based  on  high  school  gradu- 
ation. 2,952  have  had  no  college  training,  934  have  had  one  or 
two,  years  in  college;  865  have  had  three  or  four  years  in  college. 
353  have  attended  a  summer  school  of  one  to  six  weeks  duration; 
972  have  attended  7  to  12  weeks ;  1176  have  attended  summer  schools 
for  over  12  weeks. 

In  places  under  200 :  Of  1910  teachers  reporting  school  training, 
122  have  had  less  than  an  eight  year  elementary  school  training; 
1015  have  had  less  than  four  years  in  high  school ;  1445  have  had 
no  normal  training.  Based  on  high  school  graduation,  15  have  had 
as  much  as  one  year  in  normal  school;  29  have  had  two  years;  17 
have  had  three  or  four  years.  Not  based  on  high  school  graduation, 
172  have  had  as  much  as  one  year  in  a  normal  school ;  63  two  years, 
97  three  or  four  years.  1,678  have  had  no  college  training ;  176  have 
had  one  or  two  years  in  college ;  56  have  had  three  or  four  years  in 
college.  103  have  attended  summer  school  for  from  one  to  six 
weeks;  478  have  attended  seven  to  12  weeks;  389  have  attended 
over  12  weeks. 

Negro  teachers :  Of  199  reporting,  three  have  had  less  than  an 
eight  year  elementary  school  training;  84  have  had  less  than  four 
years  in  high  school;  93  have  had  no  normal  training.  Based  on 
four  year  high  school  graduation,  15  have  had  as  much  as  one  year 
in  normal;  29  have  had  two  years  and  17  have  had  three  or  four 
years.  Not  based  on  high  school  graduation  four  have  had  one 
year  in  normal;  eight  have  had  two  years;  33  have  had  three  or 
four  years.  114  have  had  no  college  training ;  27  have  had  one  to 
two  years;  58  have  had  three  or  four  years  in  college.  18  have 
attended  summer  school  from  one  to  six  weeks;  26  have  attended 
seven  to  12  weeks ;  57  have  attended  over  12  weeks. 

Tenure :  Of  4735  white  teachers  reporting  for  places  over  200, 
1522  began  teaching  outside  Oklahoma  and  1526  began  in  Oklahoma 
but  outside  the  county  where  now  employed.  139  have  taught  in 
the  school  where  now  employed  less  than  one  year ;  2188  have  taught 
in  the  school  one  year ;  1042  have  taught  two  years ;  462  have  taught 
three  years  and  904  have  taught  over  three  years.  35  teachers  have 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  361 

taught  a  total  of  less  than  one  year  in  and  outside  of  Oklahoma; 
543  have  taught  a  total  of  one  year ;  542  have  taught  a  total  of  two 
years;  520  have  taught  three  years;  3095  have  taught  more  than 
three  years. 

For  places  under  200:  Of  1922  reporting,  316  began  teaching 
outside  of  Oklahoma  and  313  began  in  Oklahoma  but  outside  the 
county  where  now  employed;  63  have  taught  in  the  school  where 
now  employed  less  than  one  year;  1,313  have  taught  one  year,  353 
have  taught  two  years;  79  have  taught  three  years  and  114  have 
taught  over  three  years.  32  teachers  have  taught  a  total  of  less 
than  one  year  in  and  outside  of  Oklahoma;  483  have  taught  one 
year;  337  have  taught  two  years;  198  have  taught  three  years  and 
872  have  taught  over  three  years. 

Of  200  Negroes  reporting:  68  began  teaching  outside  of  Okla- 
homa and  82  began  in  Oklahoma  but  outside  the  county  where  now 
employed.  Three  have  taught  in  the  school  where  now  employed 
less  than  one  year;  73  have  taught  one  year;  47  have  taught  two 
years;  98  have  taught  three  years  and  59  have  taught  over  three 
years.  One  teacher  has  taught  a  total,  in  and  outside  Oklahoma 
of  less  than  one  year ;  8  have  taught  one  year ;  12  have  taught  two 
years;  15  have  taught  three  years  and  164  have  taught  over  three 
years. 

Occupation  groups  from  which  teachers  come :  For  places  over 
200,  of  4745  teachers  reporting  the  father's  occupation,  576  were 
from  professions;  1682  from  farm  homes;  1064  were  from  commer- 
cial pursuits  and  389  were  from  trades  and  labor  groups. 

For  places  under  200,  of  1927  reporting,  163  were  from  pro- 
fessions, 1294  were  from  farm  homes,  141  from  commercial  pursuits, 
and  117  from  trades  and  labor  groups.  Of  201  Negro  teachers  re- 
porting, 21  were  from  professional  groups;  66  from  farm  homes; 
11  from  commercial  pursuits  and  47  from  trades  and  labor  groups. 

Data  collected  from  the  whole  State  by  the  State  superinten- 
dent of  education  show  that  45  of  every  100  children  enrolled  in 
rural  ungraded  schools  are  absent  each  school  day  and  41  of  every 
100  enrolled  in  consolidated  schools  are  absent  daily. 

Twenty-one  (21)  per  cent  of  all  schools  urban  and  city  have  a 
school  term  six  months  or  shorter  in  length;  16  per  cent  of  the 
schools  under  the  direction  of  county  superintendents  in  49  counties 
have  a  "split"  or  divided  term.  Even  shorter  terms  are  often 
divided  into  two  sessions. 


362  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

School  buildings  which  are  unfit  or  in  which  conditions  are  in- 
sanitary are  not  rare.  Reports  on  approximately  4,000  rural  school 
buildings  show  that  less  than  one-third  (33%)  of  the  rural  schools 
have  sanitary  drinking  water  arrangements ;  40  per  cent  have  cloak- 
rooms; only  91/2  per  cent  have  two  sanitary  toilets;  about  14  per 
cent  have  windows  properly  placed  so  as  to  afford  good  lighting. 

Rural  schools  are  inadequately  equipped  as  to  instruction  ma- 
terial; only  48  per  cent  have  as  many  as  25  books  suitable  for  sup- 
plementary reading;  56  per  cent  have  a  map  of  the  United  States; 
62  per  cent  blackboards  in  good  condition  and  28  per  cent  are 
equipped  with  single  patent  desks. 

Enrollment  and  seating  capacity:  In  places  over  200  reporting 
a  total  of  129,335  seating  capacity  and  a  total  enrollment  of  124,- 
993;  2,123  places  reported  a  seating  capacity  equal  to  or  greater 
than  the  enrollment;  971  places  reported  an  enrollment  greater 
than  the  number  of  seats.  For  places  under  200  reporting  a  total 
seating  capacity  of  57,530  and  an  enrollment  equal  to  or  less  than 
seating  capacity  and  772  places  reported  an  enrollment  greater  than 
seating  capacity. 

Of  Negro  schools  reporting  a  total  seating  capacity  of  11,175 
and  a  total  enrollment  of  10,125;  93  reported  an  enrollment  equal 
to  or  greater  than  seating  capacity  and  88  reported  an  enrollment 
exceeding  the  seating  capacity. 

Pupils  per  teacher:  Of  all  places  reporting  for  places  over  200 
population  752  reported  30  or  less  pupils  per  teacher ;  1,203  reported 
31  to  40  pupils  per  teacher  and  1,180  reported  over  40  pupils  per 
teacher.  For  places  under  200,  1,007  places  reported  30  or  less  pu- 
pils per  teacher;  241  places  reported  31  to  40  pupils  per  teacher 
and  413  places  reported  over  40  pupils  per  teacher.  Of  Negro 
schools  reporting,  53  reported  30  or  less  pupils  per  teacher,  28  re- 
ported 31  to  40  pupils  per  teacher,  and  98  reported  more  than  40 
pupils  per  teacher. 

Age-Grade  enrollment:  17,598  or  12.1  per  cent  of  all  white 
students  in  places  over  200  are  young  for  the  grade  in  which  they 
are  enrolled ;  84,716  or  58  per  cent  are  the  proper  age  for  the  grade 
in  which  they  are  enrolled;  43,624  or  29.9  per  cent  are  over-age 
for  the  grade  in  which  they  are  enrolled ;  4,383  or  8  per  cent  of  all 
white  students,  in  places  under  200  are  young  for  the  grade  in 
which  they  are  enrolled ;  24,952  or  45.4  per  cent  are  the  proper  age 
for  the  grade  in  which  they  are  enrolled;  25,584  or  46.6  per  cent 
are  over-age  for  the  grade  in  which  they  are  enrolled. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  363 

Of  negro  children  162  or  3.9  per  cent  are  young  for  the  grade 
in  which  they  are  enrolled ;  1,419  or  34.2  per  cent  are  the  proper  age 
for  the  grade  in  which  they  are  enrolled,  and  2,567  or  61.9  per  cent 
are  over-age  for  the  grade  in  which  enrolled. 

In  order  to  bring  about  approximate  equality  of  educational 
opportunity  as  between  independent  districts  and  rural  districts 
in  the  State,  Oklahoma  must  immediately  multiply  the  percentage 
of  the  rural  population  in  high  schools,'  by  four.  The  percentage 
of  high  school  teachers  working  in  rural  districts  must  be  multiplied 
by  three.  The  money  per  capita  being  spent  for  buildings  and 
grounds  in  villages  must  be  multiplied  by  2^,  in  consolidated  dis- 
tricts by  4,  in  union  graded  districts  by  2l/2  and  in  rural  ungraded 
districts  by  5.  The  percentage  of  the  enumeration  in  attendance  must 
be  raised  7  per  cent  in  village  districts,  10  per  cent  in  consolidated 
districts,  12  per  cent  in  union  graded  districts  and  21  per  cent  in 
rural  dstricts.  The  percentage  of  teachers  holding  first  grade  cer- 
tificates must  be  increased  34  per  cent  in  village  districts,  42.9  per 
cent  in  consolidated  districts,  52.5  per  cent  in  union  graded  dis- 
tricts and  74.4  per  cent  in  ungraded  rural  districts.  Salaries  of 
teachers  in  village  districts  must  be  increased  by  approximately 
15  per  cent,  30  per  cent  in  consolidated  districts,  50  in  union  graded 
districts,  and  64  per  cent  in  rural  districts.  The  school  term  in 
rural  districts  must  be  lengthened  two  months.  Finally,  such  a 
ratio  of  adequately  trained  supervisors  to  teachers  in  rural  districts 
must  be  provided  that  supervision  is  as  intimate,  as  personal,  and 
as  regular  as  in  independent  districts. 

In  order  to  remedy  school  conditions  in  Oklahoma  it  is  essen- 
tial to  provide  a  State  agency  for  the  promotion  of  education  which 
shall  be  clothed  with  much  more  real  power  and  influence  than  the 
State  department  has  enjoyed  in  the  past. 

The  States  higher  institutions  including  those  which  were  or- 
ganized especially  for  preparing  teachers  have  not  had  an  adequate 
supply  of  strong  high  school  graduates  to  draw  from;  the  elemen- 
tary and  secondary  schools  have  suffered  sorely  because  of  the  lack 
of  equally  prepared  teachers ;  every  part  of  the  educational  system 
except  in  the  few  large  cities  and  wealthy  districts  has  languished 
for  lack  of  adequate  financial  support  and  because  there  has  been 
no  adequate  leadership  and  no  one  body  or  organization  to  do  what 
a  properly  constituted  State  board  of  education  should  be  organized 
.and  authorized  to  do,  namely,  consider  the  educational  system  of 


364  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

the  State  as  a  whole  and  promote  the  interests  of  all  parts  of  the 
system  in  relation  to  the  whole. 

SCHOOL  REVENUES,    FINANCE,  AND  GENERAL    ADMINIS- 
TRATION. 

Abolish  the  present  antiquated,  unfair  methods  of  apportion- 
ing State  school  moneys,  and  adopt  modernized  scientific  methods 
which  will  recognize  variations  among  the  local  school  units,  as 
to  length  of  school  year,  assessed  valuation  per  child  in  average 
daily  attendance,  local  tax  rate,  aggregate  days  of  attendance,  num- 
ber and  qualifications  of  school  officers  and  teachers  employed. 

Abolish  present  plan  of  school  district  organization. 

Establish  the  county  as  the  local  school  unit. 

Remove  all  limitations  on  State  and  local  taxation. 

Establish  eight  months,  160  days,  as  the  minimum  school  term, 
beginning  in  1924-25,  and  nine  months  thereafter. 

Require  a  minimum  county  school  tax  of  not  less  than  ten 
mills,  the  proceeds  to  be  distributed  among  the  schools  of  the 
county  on  a  per-teacher  basis,  and  in  such  a  manner  as  to  recognize 
the  principles  set  forth  in  Recommendation  1,  in  so  far  as  these  prin- 
ciples have  application  within  the  county. 

Extend  to  counties  taxing  and  bonding  powers  for  school  pur- 
poses. The  plan  here  proposed  of  abolishing  school  ditsricts  and 
of  establishing  the  county  as  the  local  unit  of  support  will  equalize 
local  rates  of  taxation  within  the  counties. 

Provide  a  State  equalization  fund  to  be  apportioned  among 
those  counties  which  levy  a  county  school  tax  of  15  mills  or  more 
but  are  unable  to  produce  thereby  for  every  child  of  school  age 
resident  in  the  county  a  quota  equal  to  the  State  average  county 
quota  per  child  derived  from  proceeds  of  such  county  taxes. 

STANDARDS  TO  BE  SET  BY  THE  STATE. 

Empower  and  require  the  State  Department  of  Education  to 
fix  and  to  modify  from  time  to  time,  as  conditions  seem  to  war- 
rant, the  requirements  and  standards  which  counties  must  meet  in 
order  to  receive  quotas  of  State  moneys. 

Require  county  and  all  other  school  boards  to  prepare  annual- 
ly a  budget  of  estimated  school  costs  for  the  next  succeeding  year, 
such  budget  to  be  submitted  to  the  proper  authorities  and  used  as 
a  basis  for  levying  taxes. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  365 

Require  the  counties  to  formulate  and  provide  for  the  carrying 
out  of  a  county  building  program,  to  provide  new  buildings  and  other 
new  school  property. 

Abolish  the  office  of  county  superintendent  as  an  elective  office, 
and  place  the  appointment  and  fixing  of  the  salary  of  the  county 
superintendent  in  the  hands  of  the  County  Board  of  Education, 
subject  only  to  the  limits  as  to  professional  qualifications  and  min- 
imum salary  fixed  by  the  State  Board  of  Education. 

Establish  an  amount  not  less  than  that  paid  to  city  superin- 
tendents in  first  class  city  systems  as  the  minimum  salary  of  county 
superintendents.  The  office  of  county  superintendent  should  be 
thoroughly  professionalized.  Nowhere  is  skilled  supervision  more 
important  than  in  rural  communities,  owing  to  the  large  numbers 
of  untrained  and  inexperienced  teachers  to  be  found  in  such 
communities.  Specific  and  high  professional  qualifications  should 
be  prerequisites  for  eligibility  to  the  office. 

Provide  for  every  county  supervisors  or  teacher-helpers  of 
qualifications  sufficient  to  entitle  said  supervisor  to  a  salary  not 
less  than  that  paid  to  expert  supervisors  employed  in  first  class 
city  school  systems,  appointment  to  be  made  by  county  boards 
of  education  on  nomination  of  the  county  superintendent  upon  the 
basis  of  qualifications  fixed  by  the  State  Board  of  Education. 

Provide  for  a  State  graduated  income  tax  upon  the  proceeds 
of  which  public  schools  and  other  educational  institutions  shall  have 
first  claim. 

Create  a  State  special  commission  on  taxation.  Such  a  com- 
mission is  needed  at  the  present  time  in  Oklahoma  to  make  a 
thorough  study  of  her  system  of  assessing  property  and  levying 
and  collecting  taxes.  The  State  Board  of  Equalization  insists 
that  property  is  now  assessed  at  its  fair  cash  value.  Members 
of  the  survey  staff  frequently  heard  it  stated  by  individual  citizens 
that  property  is  assessed  at  not  more  than  one-third  its  true  value, 
and  striking  examples  supporting  these  statements  were  given. 

A  STATE  EDUCATIONAL  BUDGET   COMMISSION. 

Create  a  State  interim  legislative  educational  budget  commis- 
sion, which  shall  prepare  and  recommend  to  the  next  legislature 
an  educational  budget. 

Provide  for  the  rasing  by  State  taxation  of  funds  sufficient 
to  finance  all  educational  projects,  positions,  and  institutions  sub- 
sidized by  the  State. 


366  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Provide  for  the  State  Department  of  Education  funds  suffi- 
cient to  enable  it  to  dispense  entirely  with  aid  from  private  founda- 
tions. 

Place  the  appointment  and  the  fixing  of  the  salary  of  the 
State  Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  in  the  hands  of  the  State 
Board  of  Education. 

Provide  a  salary  fund  for  the  State  Department  of  Education 
sufficient  to  enable  the  State  Board  of  Education  to  employ  a  State 
Superintendent  capable  of  commanding  from  $7,000  to  $10,000, 
and  to  pay  other  members  of  the  staff  proportionately,  in  each  case 
the  salary  to  be  determined  on  the  basis  of  professional  qualifi- 
cations. 

Establish  and  provide  for  the  maintenance  of  a  Division  of 
School  Buildings  within  the  State  Department  of  Education. 

Provide  for  State  continuing  appropriations  sufficient  to  match 
federal,  private,  and  all  other  subventions  the  receipt  of  which  re- 
quires moneys  provided  from  within  the  State. 

Abolish  6  to  21  years  as  the  scholastic  age,  and  establish  in  its 
stead  as  the  scholastic  age,  5  to  18  years. 

Provide  that  State  tax  rates  for  educational  projects  shall  be 
determined  biennially  on  the  basis  of  the  amount  of  money  requir- 
ed, in  addition  to  that  available  from  the  endowment  fund  and  all 
other  continuing  sources,  to  provide  adequate  funds  for  all  edu- 
cational projects  to  be  subsidized  by  the  State. 

Provide  State  funds  to  grant  special  additional  aid  to  encourage 
consolidation,  transportation,  free  textbooks,  and  employment  of 
teachers,  superintendents,  and  other  school  officers  of  qualifications 
higher  than  the  lawful  minimum,  and  to  subsidize  new  and  progres- 
sive types  of  educational  effort. 

PROFESSIONAL       QUALIFICATIONS     FOR     EDUCATIONAL 

SERVICE. 

Empower  and  require  the  State  Board  of  Education  to  establish 
and  modify  from  time  to  time,  as  conditions  warrant,  a  scale  of  edu- 
cational and  professional  requirements  for  all  positions  to  be  sub- 
sidized entirely  or  in  part  by  the  State,  and  a  corresponding  salary 
scale  in  which  salaries  paid  shall  vary  according  to  the  professional 
preparation,  experience,  and  class  of  certificate  of  the  incumbent. 

Provide  that  no  moneys  belonging  to  the  perpetual  school  fund 
or  to  any  other  endowment  fund  for  public  schools  shall  be  invested 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  367 

in  Oklahoma  State  bonds,  or  in  any  other  securities  chargeable 
to,  or  dependent  upon  the  credit  of  the  State  of  Oklahoma. 

Provide  for  an  adequate  and  reliable  school  census. 

Require  the  State  Department  of  Education  to  prepare  a  uni- 
form system  of  recording  receipts  and  expenditures  and  an  accom- 
panying handbdok  of  detailed  instructions  such  as  have  been  compil- 
ed by  the  State  departments  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania. 

Require  the  State  Department  of  Education  to  furnish  free  to 
counties  all  forms  for  financial  accounting  and  reporting. 

RESPONSIBILITY  OF  THE  STATE. 

Summarizing  the  most  important  tendency  of  forward  look- 
ing legislation  which  underlies  many  of  the  recommenda- 
tions contained  in  the  preceding  sections,  a  tendency  which  must 
be  recognized  and  accepted  before  school  burdens  and  educational 
opportunities  can  be  equalized  in  any  thorough-  going  manner: 

Place  upon  the  State  (which  is  the  only  unit  capable  of  equal- 
izing school  burdens  and  educational  opportunities)  the  major  por- 
tion of  the  burden  of  school  support  by  requiring  the  State  to  fur- 
nish funds  sufficient  to  pay  the  minimum  wage  to  which  every 
incumbent  of  an  educational  position  is  entitled  by  reason  of  his 
qualifications,  professional,  and  otherwise.  This  recommendation 
covers  salaries  of  superintendents,  assistants,  rural  supervisors,  and 
all  members  of  the  staff  of  the  State  Board  of  Education. 

The  only  important  items  of  expenditure  which  would  be  left 
to  the  local  communities  to  subsidize,  if  this  recommendation  be 
adopted,  would  be  school  buildings,  sites,  equipment,  cost  of  furnish- 
ing repairs  and  operating  school  buildings,  as  well  as  all  fixed 
charges. 

FINANCIAL  AND  ACCOUNTING  PROCEDURE. 

The  general  statement  of  organization  and  procedure  covers  the 
forms  of  school  organization,  jurisdiction  and  general  control,  cus- 
tody and  disbursement  of  funds,  financial  control  and  budget  pro- 
cedure, acquisition  of  property,  and  accounting  methods. 

Criticisms  and  constructive  suggestions  are  presented  under 
three  heads,  budgetary  procedure,  accounting  methods,  and  finan- 
cing methods.  Under  these  heads  the  criticisms  in  brief  are  as  fol- 
lows : 


368  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

A.  Budgetary  Procedure. 

1.  Organization  for  financial  control  erroneous. 

2.  Methods  of  presenting  information  regarding  school 
finance   tend   to   confuse   rather   than  to   inform  the 
public. 

3.  Methods  of  estimating  revenues     extraordinarily  con- 
servative. 

4.  Duplication  of  appropriation  accounts. 

B.  Accounting  Methods. 

1.  Practice  of  reporting  revenues  and  expenditures  only 
under  heads  of  General  Fund  and  Sinking  Fund  er- 
roneous. 

2.  Appropriation  accounts     reflect     objects  of  expendi- 
ture with  little  regard  to  purpose  and  character. 

3.  Appropriation  accounts  not  followed  explicitly  when 
incurring  expenditures. 

4.  Financial  statements  issued!  in  the  form  of  balance 
sheets  without  being  accompanied  by  operation  state- 
ments. 

5.  Financial  statements  showing  functional  expenditures 
can  be  developed  to  further  advantage. 

6.  School  annual  statistical  reports  to  State  Superinten- 
dent of  Education  subject  to  improvement. 

C.  Financing  Methods. 

1.  Bond  issues  permissable,  on  too  liberal  a  basis. 

2.  Authorization  to  use  sinking  funds  to  pay  judgments 
unsound  finance. 

3.  Policy  in  regard  to  investing  sinking  funds  question- 
able. 

4.  The  issue  of  sinking  fund  bonds  a  costly  method  of 
financing. 

It  is  to  be  understood  that  these  criticisms  are  in  no  sense  crit- 
icisms of  individuals,  but'  of  methods  and  procedure.  In  fact,  in 
numerous  instances,  individuals  were  found  to  be  producing  remark- 
able results  considering  the  difficulties  under  which  they  labored. 
Questions  were  answered  freely,  information  was  given  willingly, 
and  there  was  no  hesitation  whatever  about  exhibiting  any  and  all 
records  requested  for  examination. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  369 

CONCLUSION. 

In  conclusion,  the  major  criticism  of  the  public  schools  of  Okla- 
homa, from  the  financial  point  of  view,  is  that  they  are  not  under  the 
financial  jurisdiction  and  control  of  those  who  are  responsible  for 
educational  results.  This  control  should  be  vested  in  the  boards 
of  education;  and  until  it  is  so  vested,  they  cannot  be  held  respon- 
sible for  educational  policies  and  programs. 

The  following  amendments  to  the  school  law  are  suggested: 

(1)  County  boards  of  education  should  be  created,  and  vested 
with  authority  to  review  and  approve  budgets  of  all  non-independ- 
ent schools  within  their  jurisdiction,  provided  that  all  tax  levies 
incident  to  those  budgets  should  be  within  mill  limitations  as  to  tax- 
ation for  school  purposes  which  now  exist  in  the  statutes  and  State 
Constitution,  or  which  may  be  hereafter  amended. 

(2)  Board  of  education  for  independent  school  districts  should 
be  vested  with  the  same  authority  as  above  set  forth  for  the  pro- 
posed county  boards  of  education. 

(3)  The  State  board  of  education  should  have  authority  to 
review  and  approve  budgets  of  subsidiary  educational  boards,  which 
cover  different  groups  of  educational  activities;  the  approval  of 
these  budgets  should  be  subject  to   such  financial  limitations  as 
the  Legislature  may  prescribe. 

(4)  All  county  and  school  district  tax  levies  for  school  purposes 
should  be  made  in  accordance  with  the  following  subdivisions : 

(a)  General  Fund,  covering  current  expenses,  including  play- 
ground activities  now  a  separate  levy,  and  including  all  repairs  and 
replacements  of  land,  buildings  and  equipment;  with  the  exception 
of  interest  on  bonds. 

(b)  Building  Fund,  covering  all  expenditures  for  additional 
land,  buildings,  and  equipment,  or  for  additions  to  existing  land, 
buildings  and  equipment. 

(c)  Sinking"  Fund,   covering  expenditures  for  bond  interest 
and  principal. 

(5)  The  State  board  of  education  should  be  vested  with  author- 
ity to  prescribe  all  details  as  to  school  budget  procedure,  includ- 
ing the  preparation  of  financial  statements  and  estimates  of  revenues 
and  expenditures;   provided  that  the   details   of  such-  accounting 
forms  as  may  be  required  to  secure  financial  data  from  other  sources 
than  school  officials,  which  may  be  required  in  the  consideration  of 


370  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

school  policies,   shall  be   prescribed  by  the   State   Examiner   and 
Inspector. 

(6)  Whenever  the  budget  of  a  school  district  has  been  ap- 
proved by  the  board  of  education  having  jurisdiction,  all  tax  levies 
incident  thereto  should  be  mandatory  upon  the  tax  levying  agency 
of  the  district. 

(7)  The  State  board  of  education  should  be  vested  with  auth- 
ority to  prescribe  the  methods  of  recording  all  school  data,  both 
statistical  and  financial,  which  shall  be  maintained  in  the  different 
school  systems  of  the  State,  and  to  require  such  periodical  reports 
from  the  schools  as  it  may  deem  necessary. 

ORGANIZATION  AND  ADMINISTRATION. 

There  are  two  major  considerations  affecting  educational  con- 
ditions in  Oklahoma: 

(1)  Inadequate  and  unsystematic  financial  support,  the  reme- 
dies for  which  are  discussed  in  Chapter  III;  and  (2)  Certain  limi- 
tations on  the  functioning  of  vital  and  effective  leadership,  the 
remedy  for  which  is  an  enlarged  and  strengthened  State  Depart- 
ment of  Education. 

The  history  of  education  in  the  United  States  shows  very  clearly 
the  acceptance  of  the  theory  of  responsibility  of  the  several  States 
for  public  education  within  their  borders  and  the  development  of 
the  State  as  the  administrative  unit  in  education.  The  plans 
which  have  been  adopted  in  the  States  are  not  uniform,,  however, 
nor  is  there  the  same  degree  of  centralization. 

Oklahoma  is  now  in  the  position  of  considering  what  changes, 
if  any,  to  make  in  the  State  system  of  public  education  for  the  next 
few  years,  and  has  the  opportunity  to  profit  by  her  own  experience 
and  that  of  other  States.  The  following  analysis  of  the  administra- 
tive features  of  a  State  system  of  education  suggests  the  more  im- 
portant points  which  should  be  considered. 

1.  Unification  of  general  control. — A  decision  should  be  reach- 
ed as  to  the  extent  or  degree  of  centralization  of  control  to  be  adopt- 
ed  as  a   State   policy.       This   report   recommends   that   whatever 
changes  are  made  in  existing  arrangements  should  be  in  the  direction 
of  further  centralization  of  general  control  and  unification  of  the 
entire  system  of  education. 

2.  Determination  of  objectives.     One  of  the  most  important 
functions  of  the  agency  which  may  be  charged  with  the  respoiisibil- 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  371 

ity  of  general  oversight  is  to  bring  about  some  acceptable  determin- 
ation of  the  objectives  of  public  education. 

3.  Definition  of  functions  and  responsibilities.       Having  de- 
termined the  objectives  of  the  various  parts  of  the  system,  it  will 
then  be  possible  to  make  a  corresponding  assignment  of  functions 
and  division  of  responsibilities. 

4.  Co-ordination.     Co-ordination  of  the  activities  of  the  sev- 
eral parts  of  the  system  is  essential  if  consistent  progress  is  to  be 
made  toward  realization  of  the  objectives  set  up.      Such  co-ordina- 
tion should  be  specifically  provided  for,  and  some  officer  or  board 
should  be  charged  with  the  duty  of  securing  it. 

5.  Determination  of  standards.       Since  the  immediate  man- 
agement of  the  schools  is  in  the  hands  of  local  boards,  the  State 
must  exercise  its  function  of  general  control  through  legislative 
enactments  and  regulatory  promulgations.       These  take  the  form, 
in  part,  of  prescriptions  of  minimum  standards  which  are  to  be 
maintained.       These  standards  relate  to  compulsory  school  attend- 
ance, courses  of  instruction,  qualifications  and  compensation     of 
teachers,  and  the  like.      Upon  the  State  also  rests  the  duty  of  equal- 
izing educational  opportunities  for  all. 

6.  Adequate  financial  support.      Participation  by  the  State  in 
the  financial  support  of  public  education  is  a  necessary  corollary  of 
the  principle  of  State  control,  and  the  principle  of  minimum  stand- 
ards set  by  the  State. 

7.  Preparation  of  the  budget.    The  importance  of  having  and 
living  up  to  a  budget  is  no  less  in  educational  affairs  than  in  the 
conduct  of  other  public  and  private  business.     Furthermore,  the 
preparation  of  a  budget  furnishes  an  additional  reason  for  a  uni- 
fied State  system  of  education. 

8.  Election,  training,  and  certification  of  personnel.     One  of 
the  most  important  functions  of  the  State  system  of  education  is 
discharged  in  its  dealing  with  the  problem  of  the  supply  of  adequate- 
ly prepared  teachers. 

9.  Progressive  development.     It  is  not  sufficient  to  establish 
an  educational  system  for  today ;  definite  provision  should  be  made 
for  future  growth  and  development.       The  plan   of  organization 
should  look  toward  progressive  improvement  and  increasing  effi- 
ciency.      To  this  end  effective  and  aggressive  leadership   at  the 
various  levels  should  be  definitely  provided  for. 

10.  Legislation.       Continuous  expert  study  of  the  legislative 
basis  of  the  State  educational  system  is  essential,  as  well  as  the  plans 


372  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

and  policies  adopted  in  other  States. 

11.  Publicity.  The  schools  belong  to  the  people,  and  provision 
should  be  made  for  keeping  them  informed  as  to  the  goals  toward 
which  the  schools  are  working,  the  progress  they  are  making,  and 
in  general  what  returns  they  show  on  the  investment  which  the  peo- 
ple have  made  in  them. 

CONDITIONS  UNFAVORABLE  FOR  THE  EXERCISE  OF  LEAD- 
ERSHIP. 

The  desirable  ends  can  be  only  partially  realized  under  existing 
conditions  in  Oklahoma,  wrhich  are  distinctly  unfavorable  to  the  ex- 
ercise of  leadership. 

(1)  The  first  serious  defect  in  the  State  administrative  plan  for 
education  is  found  in  the  large  number  of  unrelated  boards  and 
offices  having  to  do  with  educational  affairs. 

COMPOSITION  OF  BOARDS  FAULTY. 

(2)  Even  if  it  were  possible  to  conduct  a  system  of  education 
through  a  multiplicity  of  boards  such  as  this,  the  work  would  be 
done  most  inefficiently  because  of  the  way  in  which  certain  of  the 
boards  are  constituted.      Sound  principles  of  administration  demand 
a  clear  division  of  responsibility  between  the  board  of  trustees  and 
the  expert  executives  and,  surbordinates  employed  by  it. 

RECOMMENDATIONS    OF   LEADERS   FREQUENTLY   DISRE- 
GARDED. 

(3)  A  third  factor  affecting  educational  progress  in  Oklahoma 
is  the  frequent  disregard  of  the  counsel  and  suggestions  of  the  edu- 
cational leaders  of  the  State.       Many  of  the  recommendations  em- 
bodied in  this  Survey  Report  have  been  urged  repeatedly  in  the  past 
by  State,  County,  and  City  Superintendents,  and  others  who  have 
made  close  study  of  conditions  and  needs  in  Oklahoma. 

Many  instances  could  be  cited  of  progessive  recommendations 
originating  from  those  in  position  of  educational  leadership  in 
Oklahoma,  which  have  come  to  naught,  because  they  have  been  re- 
jected without  due  examination,  or  because  of  complexity  of  ad- 
ministrative machinery  and  diffusion  of  responsibility  for  action. 

STAFF  OF  THE  STATE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION. 

The  salary  paid  to  the  State  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, or  State  commissioner  of  ieducation,  should  be  considered  as  an 
index  of  the  importance  of  the  responsibilities  of  the  office,  and  an 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS 


373 


index  of  the  realization  of  their  importance  on  the  part  of  the  citi- 
zens of  the  State.  The  influence  of  these  considerations  is  reflected 
in  a  definite  tendency  toward  higher  salaries,  but  a  number  of  States 
are  still  practicing  a  false  and  costly  economy  in  this  matter. 

The  total  payroll  for  Oklahoma  in  1920  was  reported  as  $26,000, 
Oklahoma  needs  a  much  better  equipped  department  of  education 
even  for  the  maintenance  and  direction  of  the  present  school  system. 
If  the  state  is  to  undertake  an  educational  program  such  as  is  out- 

PROPOSED  SALARY  BUDGET  FOR  STATE  DEPARTMENT 
OF  EDUCATION. 


Title  of  Position 


IS 


State   superintendent   $  2,500 

Commissioner  of  education   $7,500          $7,500 

Assistant    superintendent 2,100          

Asst.  Commissioner  and  director  of  teacher 

training    6,000          6,000 

Asst.  Commissioner  &  supervisor  of  school 

administration    6,000          6,000 

Rural  school  supervisor*  3,500  

Rural  school  supervisor   1,800          

State  supervisor  of  rural  education  4,500          4,500 

Asst.  State  supervisor  of  rural  education  (2) 8,000          8,000 

Agricultural    assistant    1,500          

Asst.  State  supervisor  of  rural  education 4,000  4,000 

High   school   inspector   2,400          

Asst.  high  school  inspector   (21) 3,600          

State  supervisor  of  secondary  education  4,500 4,500 

State  supervisor  of  elementary  education  4,5,00  4,500 

State  director  of  vocational  education 4,500          4,500 

State  supervisor  of  agricultural  education 4,000          4,000 

State  supervisor  of  trades  and  industries 4,000  4,000 

State  supervisor  of  manual  arts  4,000  4,000 

State  supervisor  of  home  economics  4,000          4,000 

State  director  of  educational  research  5,000  5,000 

State  director  of  physical  education  4,500  4,500 

Specialist  in  school  buildings  and  grounds 4,500          4,500 

State  director  of  education  for  Negroes 4,500          4,500 

Secretary  to  State  superintendent  1,500  

Secretary  to  State  Board  of  Education  2,100          

Chief    Clerk    2,000  2,500          2,500 

Clerks    (3)    at   $1,200   3,600  

Clerks   2,000  2,000 

Clerks   (2)  at  $1,800  1,800  1,800  3,600 

Clerks  (2)  at  $1,500  1,500  1,500  3,000 

Clerks   (5)   at  $1,200  2,400  3,600  6,000 

Messenger 900          900 

Total    $26,600  $67,100  $34,900  $102,000 

*  Salary  received  from  General  Education  Board. 


374  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

lined  in  this  report,  and  to  carry  it  out  intelligently,  effectively, 
and  economically,  the  need  for  a  more  potent  agency  for  leader- 
ship is  imperative. 

The  survey,  therefore,  recommends  the  establishment  of  the 
salary  of  the  State  Superintendent  or  Commissioner  of  Education 
at  $7,500,  with  other  salaries  in  proportion,  and  the  increase  of  the 
salary  budget  to  $102,000,  to  be  reached  by  1925. 

PERSONNEL  OF  THE  STAFF. 

In  the  appointment  of  the  commissioner  of  education  the  State 
board  of  education  should  canvass  the  entire  United  States  and  en- 
deavor to  select  a  man  of  successful  experience  in  large  enterprises 
and  of  broad  vision  in  educational  affairs,  who  is  capable  of  assum- 
ing a  position  of  leadership  which  will  carry  the  citizens  and  the 
teachers  of  the  State  unitedly  to  the  consummation  of  the  great 
task  ahead. 

For  assistant  commissioner  in  charge  of  teacher  training  should 
be  chosen  someone  of  outstanding  achievements  in  this  field,  whose 
special  assignment  will  be  to  improve  the  qualifications  of  the 
teachers  now  in  service,  and  to  assist  in  the  development  of  the 
State  plans  for  the  preparation  of  teachers. 

The  director  of  educational  research  should  undertake  the  re- 
organization of  the  educational  statistics  of  the  department,  in- 
cluding data  on  school  costs,  revenues,  enrollment,  attendance,  and 
jthe  like. 

The  director  of  physical  education  should  have  charge  of  all 
/activities  relating  to  the  promotion  of  physical  education,  school 
hygiene  and  sanitation,  and  health  education. 

The  specialist  in  school  buildings  and  grounds  should  have 
had  successful  experience  in  designing  and  planning  school  build- 
ings, and  should  have  thorough  knowledge  of  construction  and  of 
the  various  kinds  of  school  equipment. 

It  should  be  the  duty  of  the  assistant  commissioner  in  charge  of 
;  school  administration  to  work  primarily  with  county  and  city  su- 
perintendents, principals  of  schools,  and  other  having  administrative 
responsibilities. 

The  suggestions  with  reference  to  the  staff  in  rural  education 
are  justified  both  by  the  importance  of  rural  education  in  Oklahoma 
and  by  the  demands  of  the  proposed  program.  There  should  be  a 
supervisor  of  elementary  education,  as  well  as  a  supervisor  of  sec- 
ondary education,  in  order  to  insure  continuous  study  of  these 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  375 

special  problems,  and  to  provide  authoritative  sources  of  inspira- 
tion and  guidance  in  these  important  phases  of  education. 

A  strong  division  of  vocational  education  should  be  organized 
by  providing  for  a  State  director  of  vocational  education,  with  a 
staff  consisting  of  supervisors  of  agricultural  education,  trades  and 
industries,  manual  arts,  and  home  economics,  respectively. 

The  importance  of  the  problem  of  education  for  negroes  in 
Oklahoma  should  be  recognized  by  the  appointment  of  a  director 
who  by  reason  of  his  special  training,  experience,  and  qualifications 
for  this  work  will  command  the  confidence  and  support  of  the  peo- 
ple of  both  races.  The  white  people  of  Oklahoma  have,  in  fact, 
at  least  as  much  at  stake  as  the  negroes  in  any  decision  as  to  what 
educational  opportunities  shall  be  provided  for  the  latter. 

In  common  with  many  other  offices,  the  department  of  educa- 
tion is  inadequately  provided  with  clerical  assistance.  The  ad- 
ditions suggested  will  increase  the  effectiveness  of  the  work,  and 
make  possible  more  complete  utilization  of  the  expert  knowledge 
and  abilities  represented  by  the  staff. 

HIGHER  EDUCATION. 

The  obligation  on  the  part  of  the  State  to  develop  higher  edu- 
cation, should  under  no  circumstances  be  considered  as  a  dead  ex- 
pense. The  more  a  State  actually  invests  in  higher  education  the 
more  certain  it  can  be  of  the  physical  comfort  of  its  citizens,  the 
stability  of  its  government  and  the  spread  of  culture. 

The  progress  of  higher  education  in  Oklahoma  has  been  remark- 
able during  the  past  fifteen  years.  The  end  is  not  yet.  In  the 
future  provision  must  be  made  in  an  even  more  generous  way  if  the 
demands  for  higher  education  are  to  met  adequately. 

One  of  the  outstanding  features  of  the  growth  of  higher  edu- 
cation in  the  State  is  that  it  has  occurred  without  any  definite  plan 
on  the  part  of  the  State.  There  are  too  many  State  institutions  for 
present  demands  and  some  of  them  are  unfortunately  located.  Evi- 
dence is  presented  later  which  will  show  the  lack  of  sound  and  clear 
objectives  in  the  development  noted  as  it  relates  to  several  in- 
stitutions. 

State  administration  and  control  of  public  higher  education  in 
the  early  administration  was  quite  decentralized. 
Oklahoma  has  passed  through  several  phases.       In  a  general  way 

In  1911  the  State  radically  changed  its  method  of  administering 
its  various  educational  institutions.  At  that  time  sixteen  State 


376  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

boards  were  looking  after  various  aspects  of  education. 

It  was  truly  a  bewildering  array  of  machinery  to  have  in  charge 
of  the  State  affairs  of  education.  In  1911  an  attempt  was  made 
to  bring  order  out  of  chaos  by  setting  up  a  highly  centralized  control 
through  an  act  which  created  the  State  board  of  education  to  be 
the  legal  successor  of  fourteen  of  the  boards. 

As  the  organization  of  the  State  administration  above  described 
continued  in  its  work  it  proved  more  or  less  unsatisfactory.  The 
reason  is  not  far  to  seek.  Too  many  heterogeneous  interests  and 
activities  were  thrown  together,  many  of  which  had  little  or  no  re- 
lation to  others.  Consequently,  an  effort  at  decentralization  was 
made  which  resulted  in  1919  in  the  creation  of  a  separate  board  of 
regents  for  each  State  institution  of  higher  learning  formerly  under 
the  central  board,  except  for  the  six  State  normal  schools  which  re- 
mained under  the  State  Board  of  Education. 

It  should  be  pointed  out  here  that  the  experience  of  Oklahoma 
above  recounted  can  hardly  be  said  to  discredit  the  idea  of  a  cen- 
tral board  of  control  for  State  higher  education.  It  rather  il- 
lustrates the  fact  that  a  central  board  in  charge  of  numerous  activi- 
ties not  closely  related  is  not  likely  to  prove  a  success. 

Much  thought  has  been  given  to  the  method  of  State  adminis- 
tration now  in  vogue,  in  the  belief  that  a  clarification  of  this  sit- 
uation will  care  for  many  of  the  defects  in  the  State  provision  for 
liigher  education.  Certain  principles  of  sound  administration  may 
be  stated :  First,  The  number  of  State  boards  should  be  reduced  to 
the  smallest  number  consistent  with  good  administration;  Second, 
Each  board  should  be  in  charge  of  closely  related  activities  only,  if 
it  is  to  look  after  its  charges  properly;  Third,  Some  means  should 
be  adopted  to  insure  a  plan  of  development,  rather  than  to  allow 
progress  to  occur  in  sporadic  fashion. 

With  these  principles  in  mind,  it  is  recommended  that  the  work 
,of  higher  education  be  put  in  charge  of  four  boards  as  follows : 

1.  Board  of  regents  for  the  State  university. 

2.  Board  of  regents  for  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  col- 
leges. 

3.  Board  of  regents  for  the   State  teachers'  colleges. 

4.  Board  of  regents  for  the  Oklahoma  College  for  Women. 
The  board  of  regents  for  the  State  university  should  have  in 

charge  the  university  and  any  State  junior  colleges  of  liberal  arts 
which  are  in  existence  or  which  may  be  established  in  the  future. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  377 

Under  no  circumstances  should  such  junior  colleges  be  established 
except  as  they  are  approved  by  this  Board. 

The  Miami  school  of  Mines  if  it  is  to  be  continued  as  a  State 
school  should  be  officially  reorganized  as  a  junior  college  of  liberal 
arts. 

The  board  of  regents  for  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  col- 
leges should  have  in  charge  the  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and  Mechani- 
cal College  and  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University. 

The  Oklahoma'  School  of  Mines  and  Metallurgy,  at  Wilburton, 
should  be  abandoned. 

The  constitutional  provision  which  makes  the  State  board  of 
agriculture  serve  as  the  board  of  regents  of  the  agricultural  and 
mechanical  colleges  should  be  repealed. 

The  six  State  teachers'  colleges  should  be  under  one  board  of 
regents. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  boards  governing  the  several  insti- 
tutions be  given  authority  by  law  to  purchase  equipment,  books,  and 
supplies,  and  the  State  Board  of  Public  Affairs  be  made  responsible 
for  purchasing  fuel,  placing  insurance,  and,  erecting  buildings, 
the  latter  function  being  performed  with  the  advice  of  the  respec- 
tive boards  of  administration.  Such  an  arrangement  will  make  for 
economical  and  expeditious  service. 

From  the  state  point  of  view  there  remains  to  be  considered 
some  means  or  method  of  coordinating  the  work  of  the  several 
institutions  of  higher  learning  and  of  holding  them  to  their  proper 
functions.  Various  expedients  have  been  adopted  in  several  quar- 
ters to  secure  the  results.  It  is  one  of  the  underlying  reasons  which 
has  frequently  resulted  in  a  central  board  of  control.  It  does 
not  seem  advisable  to  recommend  that  a  single  central  board  of  con- 
trol should  at  present  be  adopted  by  the  State  of  Oklahoma,  and  ac- 
cordingly the  setting  up  of  four  boards  is  suggested.  To  secure  some 
form  of  coordination,  representatives  of  the  four  boards  should  hold 
an  annual  or  semi-annual  meeting  to  discuss  and  determine  matters 
which  affect  more  than  one  of  the  groups  of  institutions. 

ORGANIZATION  OF  STATE  BOARDS. 

The  evidence  which  has  been  submitted  to  the  committee  makes 
it  clear  that  the  State  has  been  unfortunate  in  the  organization  of 
its  State  boards  which  have  had  to  do  with  higher  education.  In- 
formation is  not  lacking  to  the  effect  that  political  motives  have  had 
a  prominent  part  in  the  State  institutions  of  higher  learning.  The 


378  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

frequent  changing  of  presidents  of  the  several  institutions,  with  the 
exception  of  only  a  few  institutions,  seems  to  indicate  clearly  that 
motives  other  than  professional  have  all  too  frequently  been  pres- 
ent. Such  constant  changing  is  extremely  unfortunate. 

The  remedy  is  clear.  On  the  one  hand  there  must  be  a  develop- 
ment of  public  opinion  which  is  greatly  interested  in  the  best  pos- 
sible provision  for  higher  education  and  which  jealously  guards 
against  the  prostitution  of  such  provision  for  personal  or  political 
advantage. 

There  should  be  no  ex-offico  members  on  the  boards. 

THE  PRESIDENCY. 

At  the  head  of  the  administration  of  each  institution  stands  the 
president,  the  direct  agent  of  the  board  of  control. 

Only  competent  persons  should  be  chosen  for  the  position,  it 
is  little  short  of  a  betrayal  of  high. trust  to  permit  such  extraneous 
considerations  as  personal  or  political  support  in  any  way  to  have 
consideration  in  the  choice.  A  further  consideration  is  that  once 
able  men  are  secured  for  the  high  positions,  they  should  be  contin- 
ued in  service  for  long  periods. 

Two  important  reasons  may  be  assigned  for  this  recommenda- 
tion: First,  long  tenure  secures  for  the  State  a  continuous  policy 
without  which  unified  and  economical  administration  is  impossible. 
Men  who  know  they  are  to  serve  for  short  periods  only  are  likely 
to  plan  for  short  periods,  which  is  likely  to  result  in  impetuous  de- 
velopment if  any  at  all.  Second,  security  of  tenure  is  essential  to 
obtaining  the  services  of  the  kind  of  men  which  the  State  must  have. 

UNCERTAINTY  OF  TENURE  A  SEVERE  HANDICAP. 

In  the  institutions  other  than  the  university  and  the  college  for 
women  there  is  much  uncertainty  of  tenure  of  position,  due  partly 
to  the  annual  election  of  faculty  members. 

The  constant  shifting  results  in  a  great  loss  of  loyalty  and  in 
lowered  morale.  The  remedy  lies  in  the  adoption  of  rules  governing 
tenure.  Such  a  businesslike  policy  would  eliminate  one  of  the 
factors  which  militates  against  the  growth  of  scholarly  spirit. 

The  organization  of  a  senate  in  each  of  these  institutions,  com- 
posed of  all  faculty  members  who  hold  the  rank  of  associate  pro- 
fessor and  above,  is  suggested  as  a  legislative  body  so  far  as  courses 
of  study  and  student  affairs  are  concerned. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  379 

THE  BUDGET. 

The  internal  budgets  at  the  various  institutions  do  not  seem 
to  be  well  developed.  Departments  frequently  do  not  know  how 
much  they  have  to  spend  and  consequently  are  hampered  in  planning 
for  equipment  and  other  expenses. 

The  president  of  each  institution  should  be  required  to  pre- 
pare, annually,  a  budget  which  should  show  every  source  of  income. 
On  the  expenditure  side  it  should  present  the  expenditures  for  every 
division  and  department  of  the  institution,  the  amounts  allowed  for 
salaries,  for  equipment,  supplies,  incidentals,  etc. 

In  view  of  the  conditions  existing  at  the  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  College  a  more  complete  survey  should  be  made  of  that 
institution. 

THE  TRAINING  OF  TEACHERS. 

For  the  training  of  elementary  teachers  two  agencies  have  been 
established,  of  which  the  first  was  the  State  normal  schools  now 
known  as  the  State  teachers'  colleges. 

A  second  agency  for  training  elementary  teachers  is  the  normal 
training  courses  in  district  agricultural  schools  and  in  fully  accredit- 
ed high  schools  under  an  act  approved  in  1915. 

In  addition  to  the  training  agencies  above  mentioned  some  ele- 
mentary teachers  come  from  the  State  university,  the  agricultural 
and  mechanical  college,  the  college  for  women,  and  some  of  the 
private  institutions  of  higher  learning. 

It  is  also  estimated  that  at  the  present  time  the  State  institu- 
tions which  prepare  high  school  teachers  graduate  annually  be- 
tween 150  and  200  students  with  professional  training  including 
practice  teaching  in  secondary  subjects. 

The  time  has  come  for  the  State  to  provide  and  require  better 
training  for  its  teachers. 

Teacher  training  classes  in  the  high  schools  as  now  organized 
should  be  regarded  as  at  best  but  a  temporary  expedient,  and 
should  now  be  abandoned. 

TRAINING  SCHOOL  FACILITIES  INADEQUATE. 

One  of  the  weakest  features  of  the  teacher  training  work  at 
the  teachers'  colleges  is- the  use  made  of  the  training  school. 

In  most  of  the  colleges  there  seems  to  be  no  close  correlation 
between  the  theory  of  education  and  the  practice  teaching. 

The  training  of  high  school  teachers  as  carried  on  in  the  State 


380  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

university,  the  agricultural  and  mechanical  college,  and  the  college 
for  women,  is  also  seriously  handicapped  because  of  inadequate 
training  schools. 

FUNCTION  OF  STATE  TEACHERS   COLLEGES  SHOULD   BE 

DEFINED. 

In  view  of  the  present  situation  in  Oklahoma  the  principal 
function  of  the  State  teachers'  college  should  be  the  training  of 
elementary  teachers. 

With  the  development  of  the  program  recommended  elsewhere 
for  State  aid  to  high  schools,  the  secondary  grades  at  the  State 
teachers'  colleges  should  be  discontinued,  one  year  at  a  time. 

The  State  should  depend  on  the  university,  the  agricultural 
and  mechanical  college,  the  college  for  women,  and  the  privately 
controlled  colleges  for  its  supply  of  secondary  school  teachers. 

The  best  judgment  available  does  not  approve  offering  the 
four  year  courses  at  the  teachers'  colleges  at  present,  but  in  any 
event  such  courses  should  not  be  offered  with  inadequate  faculties. 

THE   EDUCATION   OF  WOMEN. 

In  numerous  ways  Oklahoma  has  recognized  her  higher  edu- 
cation obligations  to  the  women  of  the  State.  From  the  early  terri- 
torial days  the  university  and  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College  and  the  State  normal  schools  have  been  coeducational.  In 
keeping  with  educational  customs  in  some  States  a  separate  in- 
stitution for  women  was  also  established.  Thus  today  a  woman  in 
Oklahoma  may  choose  to  pursue  her  higher  education  in  any  one  of 
the  higher  institutions  of  learning  and  she  may  pursue  any  course 
or  curriculum. 

With  the  acceptance  of  women  students  in  educational  insti- 
tutions certain  special  obligations  are  assured.  The  physical  and 
social  welfare  of  women  is  of  vital  concern  to  the  State. 

A  dean  or  director  of  women  should  be  placed  in  each  additional 
institutions,  and  she  should  have  such  assistance  and  cooperation 
from  other  members  of  the  faculty  as  will  enable  her  to  assure  to 
all  women  satisfactory  social  conditions. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  EDUCATION. 

Home  economics  instruction  is  only  one  factor  in  the  liberal 
education  of  women  but  it  is  a  very  important  one  inasmuch  as 
home  economics  and  the  basic  physical,  biological,  and  social 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  381 

sciences  upon  which  it  rests  compose  the  group  of  subjects  which 
afford  excellent  preparation  for  intelligent  participation  in  civic 
and  community  affairs. 

The  objectives  of  home  economics  Instruction  in  the  university 
should  be  three :  First,  it  should  make  a  definite  contribution  to 
the  general  and  cultural  education  of  a  maximum  number  of  women 
students  in  the  institution.  Second,  there  should  be  a  home  eco- 
nomics curriculum  for  the  preparation  of  high  school  teachers. 
Third,  special  curricula  should  be  outlined  for  the  training  of 
dietitians  for  hospital,  institutional,  commercial,  and  public  school 
positions. 

Three  additional  recommendations :  First,  the  university  home 
economics  curricula  should  be  based  on  at  least  one  full  year  of 
high  school  home  economics.  Second,  the  curriculum  leading  to 
the  bachelor's  degrees  in  home  economics  should  be  broadened. 
Third,  no  home  economics  of  great  value  can  be  given  at  the  uni- 
versity until  rooms,  equipment,  and  teaching  staff  are  provided.  A 
cafeteria  is  an  essential  unit  of  a  good  department. 

There  are  several  major  functions  of  home  economics  in 
agricultural  and  mechanical  college :  First,  careful  attention  must 
be  given  to  prepare  teachers  of  high  school  home  economics. 
Second,  there  should  be  curricula  to  prepare  county  home  demon- 
stration agents  of  which  there  are  46  in  the  State.  Third,  electives 
not  a  part  of  the  home  economics  curricula  must  be  available  for 
women  students  not  majoring  in  home  economics.  All  of  these  im- 
portant functions  should  be  fully  recognized  in  home  economics 
instruction. 

Finally,  the  present  organization  of  home  economics  is  faulty. 
All  resident  teaching,  all  correspondence  courses,  and  all  extension 
teaching  should  be  under  one  single  division.  To  maintain  several 
departments  dealing  with  the  same  subject  matter  is  unwise. 

The  educational  atmosphere  at  the  Women's  College  at  Chick- 
asha  is  conducive  to  the  maintenance  of  excellent  instruction  in 
home  economics,  but  the  material  surroundings  both  for  this  sub- 
ject and  the  basic  sciences  are  far  from  being  satisfactory.  A 
special  building  science  teaching  and  home  economics  education  is 
greatly  needed. 

HOME  ECONOMICS  IN  THE  STATE  TEACHERS'  COLLEGES. 

Home   economics   at  the  teachers'   colleges  should   serve   two 

definite  purposes,  the  primary  of  which  is  to  furnish  such  infor- 


382  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

mation  and  skill  as  will  prepare  the  teacher  in  an  undepartmental- 
ized  school  to  fulfill  the  legal  requirement  that  home  economics  be 
taught  to  the  second  and  eighth  grade  girls  in  the  .State. 

A  secondary  purpose  of  home  economics  in  teachers'  colleges 
is  to  give  such  elective  instruction  as  will  assist  the  teacher  to 
secure  for  herself  the  maximum  physical  health  and  well-being 
during  her  years  of  service. 

ENGINEERING. 

The  recommendations  which  pertain  to  engineering  are  four: 
First,  the  recommendation  regarding  the  schools  of  mines  has  al- 
ready been  given.  In  keeping  with  this  recommendation,  it  is 
recommended  further,  that,  providing  there  is  a  sufficient  demand, 
courses  in  mining  engineering  be  offered  at  the  university,  thus 
placing  the  courses  on  a  profession  basis. 

Second,  the  curricula  in  chemical  engineering  at  the  agricultural 
and  mechanical  college  and  at  the  State  university  are  a  needless 
duplication,  as  the  demand  for  chemical  engineers  is  not  large 
enough  for  the  State  to  support  two  such  courses  of  instruction.  It 
is  recommended  that  chemical  engineering  be  given  only  at  the 
university. 

Third,  the  engineering  equipment  at  the  university  is  woefully 
inadequate,  and  far  below  the  standard  of  a  first  class  engineering 
school.  More  apparatus,  machinery,  and  housing  are  needed. 
Steps  should  be  taken  as  soon  as  possible  to  bring  the  facilities  for 
engineering  instruction  at  the  university  up  to  standard. 

Fourth,  one  of  the  important  developments  in  agriculture  is  in 
the  field  of  rural  engineering.  This  work  should  be  given  greater 
attention,  and  should  be  more  adequately  supported. 

After  a  careful  consideration  it  appears  that  a  School  of  Com- 
merce and  Marketing  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  college 
is  a  mistake. 

It  seems  clear  that  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  has 
a  distinct  and  most  important  service  to  render  to  the  State — a 
service  which  is  greatly  impeded  by  setting  up  courses  of  study 
which  have  little  or  no  relation  to  the  main  purposes  of  the  col- 
lege. 

The  work  in  economics  at  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical 
College  can  and  should  properly  serve  three  purposes :  First,  there 
is  a  need  for  courses  in  general  economics  as  a  part  of  the  training 
given  to  students  in  the  school  of  science  and  literature.  Second, 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  383 

there  is  an  important  need  for  strong  work  in  rural  economics. 
Third,  there  is  need  for  training  commercial  teachers  who  shall  go 
into  the  high  schools  to  teach  business  courses. 

MEDICINE. 

The  development  of  medical  instruction  as  a  part  of  the  work  of 
the  University  of  Oklahoma  began  in  1900  when  the  first  two  years 
of  a  medical  course  were  offered  at  Norman.  In  1910  the  third 
and  fourth  years  were  established  in  Oklahoma  City.  Two  years 
later  the  Training  School  for  Nurses  was  begun. 

At  present  the  work  of  the  medical  school  is  conducted  at  three 
places — the  university,  the  old  city  hospital  building,  and  the  new 
hospital  building  built  in  1920. 

All  of  the  work  in  medicine  should  be  brought  together  under 
one  roof  in  Oklahoma  City.  It  is  fundamental  to  the  most  suc- 
cessful development  of  medical  education  in  the  future. 

The  school  is  comparatively  young  and  it  faces  an  abundance 
of  problems.  One  of  these  is  to  provide  a  larger  full  time  teach- 
ing staff. 

A  second  problem  is  to  erect  a  clinical  building  at  the  hospital 
and  abandon  the  building  now  used  for  clinical  purposes. 

The  university  should  as  soon  as  possible  develop  a  school  of 
public  health  in  conjunction  with  the  medical  school. 

GRADUATE  WORK. 

Opportunities  for  study  beyond  that  for  the  baccalaureate  de- 
gree are  offered  by  the  university  and  the  Agricultural  and  Mechani- 
cal College. 

Graduate  study  is  a  field  of  work  to  which  the  State  can  well 
afford  to  give  more  attention,  especially  if  it  desires  to  secure  the 
ablest  leadership  and  to  provide  for  the  welfare  of  its  citizens.  For 
the  present  it  is  wise  not  to  reach  out  beyond  the  masters  and  pro- 
fessional degrees,  but  work  of  these  grades  should  be  very  material- 
ly strengthened. 

One  of  the  important  functions  of  institutions  of  higher  learn- 
ing is  to  promote  the  public  welfare  by  adding  to  the  store  of  use- 
ful knowledge,  which  aids  man  in  his  conquest  over  nature,  which 
shows  him  how  to  maintain  his  health,  and  which  promotes  his  hap- 
piness generally. 


384  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

EXTENSION  AND  CORRESPONDENCE. 

One  of  the  ways  by  which  the  State  institutions  of  higher  educa- 
tion reach  out  from  their  doors  to  all  sections  of  the  State,  and  thus 
serve  the  citizens  in  every  extensive  way,  is  through  their  exten- 
sion service  and  correspondence  courses. 

Extension  and  correspondence  work  in  Oklahoma  has  great 
possibilities,  and  it  should  be  encouraged  by  generous  appropri- 
ations from  the  State  along  many  lines. 

In  order  that  wasteful  and  unnecessary  duplication  of  effort 
in  these  fields  may  be  avoided,  and  in  order  that  there  may  be  some 
uniformity  in  extension  practices,  it  is  recommended  that  the  exten- 
sion directors  of  the  several  higher  educational  institutions  meet  and 
agree  on  a  program. 

THE  HIGHER  EDUCATION  OF  NEGROES. 

The  purpose  of  State  higher  education  for  Negroes  is  threefold : 
First,  teachers  must  be  trained  for  the  Negro  schools.  Second,  vo- 
cational training  must  be  given,  as  is  mentioned  eleswhere.  Third, 
there  is  need  for  a  number  of  Negroes  who  are  trained  in  the  pro- 
fessions such  as  medicine,  the  ministry,  etc. 

The  only  institution  of  higher  learning  for  Negroes  in  the 
State  is  the  Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University  at  Lang- 
ston,  which  offers  a  four-year  high  school  curriculum  and  two-year 
normal  and  college  curricula. 

Excellent  progress  has  been  made  in  the  school  during  the  past 
few  years  since  it  has  been  under  the  present  management. 

A  study  of  conditions  shows  that  the  first  step  toward  improving 
the  institution  should  be  to  change  its  location.  Three  reasons  may 
be  stated  for  this  view:  First,  the  Negro  population  of  the  State 
is  fairly  well  concentrated  in  certain  sections.  A  Second  reason 
and  an  important  one  for  a  change  in  location,  is  that  where  the 
school  now  is  there  are  not  enough  children  to  organize  a  satis- 
factory training  school.  Third,  the  school  at  present  is  several  miles 
from  the  railroad,  and  this  circumstance  adds  considerably  to  the 
expense  of  running  the  school. 

STANDARDS. 

In  order  that  entrance  credits  may  be  more  easily  and  uniformily 
evaluated  and  clasified,  it  is  recommended  that  all  the  State  insti- 
tutions of  higher  learning  and  the  State  Department  of  Education 
join  in  the  adoption  of  a  uniform  high  school  and  college  entrance 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  385 

certificate.  It  is  further  recommended  that  the  original  college  en- 
trance certificates  accepted  by  the  institutions  of  higher  learning 
be  kept  on  file  at  the  institutions. 

JUNIOR  COLLEGES. 

Oklahoma  has  two  junior  colleges  under  State  control,  and  sev- 
eral localities  have  definitely  begun  junior  college  work  by  giving 
one  year  of  college  work  in  connection  with  their  high  schools. 
There  are  also  two  privately  controlled  junior  colleges  within  the 
State. 

Undoubtedly  the  purpose  in  extending  the  course  of  study  of 
the  Panhandle  Agricultural  Institute  in  1921  to  include  two  years 
of  college  work  was  to  provide  collegiate  education  for  a  section 
of  the  State  which  is  far  removed  from  the  State  institutions  of 
higher  learning.  Elsewhere  it  is  recommended  that  the  State  Dis- 
trict Agricultural  Schools  be  gradually  discontinued  and  that  a 
system  of  adequate  State  aid  for  high  schools  be  developed.  This 
recommendation  is  especially  applicable  to  the  panhandle  school. 

The  question  then  arises,  what  provision  shall  be  made  to  give 
higher  education  to  the  graduates  of  the  high  schools.  Two 
courses  are  open.  First,  the  institution  at  Goodwell  can  be  main- 
tained as  a  junior  college. 

If  a  junior  college  is  to  be  maintained  it)  should  be  kept  up  to 
such  a  standard  that  it  will  be  recognized  by  the  State  university. 

A  second  course  which  is  open  to  provide  instruction  of  college 
grade  is  for  the  State  to  pay  the  round  trip  transportation  annually 
of  students  from  the  three  panhandle  counties  to  any  of  the  fol- 
lowing which  a  student  desires  to  attend :  the  University  of  Okla- 
homa, the  Oklahoma  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College,  and  the 
Northwestern  State  Teachers  College. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  junior  college  work  at  the  Pan- 
handle Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  be  gradually  brought 
up  to  recognized  standards ;  that  the  college  work  be  materially  im- 
proved for  the  next  year  (1923-24) ;  and  that  the  high  school  work 
be  discontinued  by  dropping  the  first  year  in  June,  1923,  the  second 
year  in  June,  1924,  the  third  year  in  June,  1925,  and  the  fourth  year 
in  June,  1926. 

Several  additional  suggestions  and  recommendations  pertain  to 
a  number  of  unrelated  matters.  First,  it  is  recommended  that 
serious  consideration  be  given  by  the  State  authorities  to  the  desir- 
ability of  removing  certain  of  the  educational  institutions  to  other 
s.  s.  is 


386  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

locations  in  which  they  might  be  able  to  render  more  acceptable 
service  to  the  State.  Inaccessibility  and  inconvenient  railroad  con- 
nections are  serious  handicaps  to  the  growth  and  development  of  any 
educational  institution. 

Second,  it  is  suggested  that  catalogs  of  institutions  should  not 
print  outlines  of  courses  which  they  have  no  reasonable  expectation 
of  offering. 

Third,  it  is  recommended  that  the  State  establish  a  rotary  loan 
fund  at  each  institution  of  higher  education,  such  a  fund  to  be  avail- 
able to  worthy  students  who  need  assistance. 

STUDENT  WELFARE. 
PHYSICAL  EDUCATION  AND  HEALTH. 

Recognition  of  the  importance  of  physical  education  and  health 
has  resulted  in  certain  definite  programs  for  promoting  health : 
First,  facilities  were  provided  for  thorough  medical  examinations 

for  all  students  at  least  once  a  year  and  as  many  more  times 

as  such  examinations  were  deemed  necessary. 
Second,  provision  was  made  for  remedial  or  curative  treatment  for 

all  students  in  need  of  it. 
Third,  the  support  of  an  infirmary  with  nursing  and  medical  care 

has  been  adopted  to  assure  all  students  good  care  during  tem- 
porary illness. 

Fourth,  gymnasiums  and  atheltic  fields  were  enlarged  and  improved. 
Fifth,  the  physical  education  staffs  were  increased. 
Sixth,  instruction  in  health  and  hygiene  are  given  to  'ill  freshmen 
students. 

The  following  recommendations  are  made : 

First,  In  each  educational  institution  enrolling  1,000  or  more 
students,  there  should  be  at  least  one  physician  employed  on  full 
time  and  attached  either  to  the  physical  education  staff  or  to  the 
biological  science  division. 

Second,  In  institutions  with  an  enrollment  of  less  than  1,000  a 
physician  should  be  employed  for  a  definite  portion  of  his  time, 
with  like  responsibilites  and  authority. 

Third,  Full-time  women  physicians  should  be  employed  at  the 
Womans  College,  the  State  University,  and  the  Agricultural  Col- 
lege, who  shall  devote  their  entire  time  to  the  health  and  welfare 
of  the  women  students. 

Fourth,  Modern  and  adequate  infirmaries  should  be  maintained 
at  each  of  the  higher  educational  institutions. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  387 

Fifth,  Physical  education  and  hygiene  should  receive  much 
greater  consideration  at  the  normal  schools  than  is  now  given,  and 
full  time  physical  education  instructors  should  be  employed.  The 
gymnasiums  should  be  repaired  or  rebuilt,  and  supplied  with  suit- 
able conveniences. 

Sixth,  For  the  men  students  at  the  State  University  there 
should  be  built  a  modern,  adequate  gymnasium,  to  the  end  that  all 
men  shall  have  ample  opportunity  for  the  finest  physical  develop- 
ment possible. 

Seventh,  Provision  should  be  made  immediately  for  suitable 
quarters  for  the  physical  education  of  women  at  the  Agricultural 
College. 

LIVING  CONDITIONS. 

The  following  recommendations  are  made  concerning  living 
conditions  of  students : 

First,  Oklahoma  should  immediately  accept  her  responsibility 
for  properly  housing  and  feeding  at  least  one-half  of  the  women 
students  in  the  higher  educational  institutions. 

Second,  Cafeterias  administered  by  the  home  economics  depart- 
ments should  be  maintained  for  the  day  students  at  the  State  in- 
stitutions. 

Third,  As  soon  as  practicable  a  portion  of  the  men  students 
should  be  accommodated  in  college-owned  dormitories. 

PHYSICAL  EQUIPMENT. 

One  of  the  important  items  in  the  development  of  Oklahoma's 
higher  educational  institutions  is  that  of  a  sufficient  amount  of  land 
for  each.  None  of  the  schools  now  has  enough  land  for  its  ulti- 
mate needs. 

Buildings  at  all  State  higher  educational  institutions  are  in- 
adequate for  present  enrollments. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  State  building  program  for  all  in- 
stitutions of  higher  learning  be  adopted  for  a  period  of  ten  years 
with  a  view  to  providing  each  school  with  the  necessary  buildings. 

Plans  for  the  future  of  the  University  and  the  Agricultural  and 
Mechanical  College  should  look  forward  to  enrollments  of  from 
5,000  to  8,000  students  each ;  for  the  College  for  Women,  1,000  stud- 
ents and  for  each  of  the  State  teachers'  college,  from  800  to  1,000 
college  students. 

Throughout  the  several  State  institutions  generous  appropri- 
ations are  needed  to  provide  for  more  scientific  equipment. 


388  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

THE  COST  OF  THE  PROGRAM. 

There  remains  to  be  considered  the  cost  of  an  adequate  State 
system  of  higher  education  in  Oklahoma.  It  is  recommended  that 
for  land  and  buildings  at  each  institution  approximately  the  follow- 
ing sums  be  made  available  annually  for  ten  years : 

State  University  $750,000 

Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College  450,000 

College   for   Women   : 200,000 

Each  State  teachers'  college 125,000 

Colored  Agricultural  and  Normal  University 125,000 

In  general  each  institution  should  have,  when  properly  equip- 
ped, educational  buildings  totaling  in  cost  about  $1,000.00  for  each 
full-time  college  student  of  the  average  enrollment  from  September 
to  June,  and  in  addition  such  dormitories  and  other  buildings  as  are 
necessary  to  meet  the  needs. 

LIBRARIES. 

The  library  is  and  must  remain  a  principal  feature  of  any  edu- 
cational institution.  None  of  the  schools  has  enough  useful  books 
or  sufficient  library  accommodations. 

The  following  recommendations  are  made :  First,  Sums  rang- 
ing from  $5  to  $10  per  student  should  be  made  available  for  books 
and  magazines  at  the  several  institutions. 

Second,  The  amounts  available  for  salaries  of  the  library  staffs 
should  be  approximately  equal  to  the  amounts  available  for  books 
on  the  above  basis. 

Third,  At  each  institution  plans  for  the  enlargement  of  the 
present  library  building,  or  for  a  new  library  building,  should  be 
prepared  after  consultation  with  expert  librarians  of  larger  institu- 
tions. 

REVENUES. 

First,  the  income  derived  from  the  production  taxes  on  oil  and 
minerals  should  be  invested  in  a  State  building  program.  In  such 
a  program  other  State  institutions  besides  those  for  higher  education 
should  be  included.  To  expend  this  income  in  a  way  other  than  in 
a  permanent  investment  seems  very  unwise. 

Second,  At  least  a  part  of  the  money  for  higher  education 
should  be  provided  by  means  of  a  millage  tax.  Such  taxation  pro- 
vides a  definite  amount  which  can  form  the  basis  of  planning. 

Third,  The  income  from  the  various  Federal  land  grants  should 
be  made  available  to  the  institutions  concerned  without  appropri- 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  389 

ation  by  the  State  Legislature.  These  grants  are  for  specific  purposes. 
To  include  them  in  the  appropriation  bills  can  serve  no  good  end 
and  it  makes  it  appear  that  these  moneys  are  raised  by  taxation. 

SUMMARY  OP  EECOMMENDATIONS   CONCERNING  RURAL 

SCHOOLS. 

(1)  The  elementary  and  secondary  school  system,  teacher  pre- 
paring institutions  and  functions,  and  certificating  authority  should 
be  under  the  direction  and  superi vision  of  the  State  board  of  edu- 
cation.   The  board  should  be  composed  of  7  or  nine  members  elect- 
ed at  large  on  a  non-partisan  basis  and  should  serve  long  terms, 
probably  7  or  9  years. 

(2)  The   State   Superintendent   should  be   appointed   by   the 
board  for  a  term  and  at  a  salary  to  be  fixed  by  the  board,  and  should 
be  its  executive  officer  to  whom  education  matters  are  delegated 
for  execution.       The  board  itself  should  function  as  a  legislative 
body. 

(3)  A  Division  of  Rural  Schools  should  be  established  in  the 
State  department  of  education  with  one  director  in  charge  and  at 
least  3  assistants. 

(4)  Present  school  district  lines  and  organizations  should  be 
discontinued,  except  in  the  case  of  certain  districts  meeting  stand- 
ard requirements  of  the  State  board  of  education  as  to  territory, 
valuation,    and   educational   efficiency.       All   other   districts   now 
designated  as  ungraded  rural,  union  graded,  consolidated,  and  in- 
dependent should  together  form  county  systems  of  schools  admin- 
istered by  county  board  of  education. 

COUNTY  BOARDS  OF  EDUCATION. 

(5)  The  county  board  of  education  should  be  composed  of 
5  or  7  members  elected  at  large  for  terms  of  5  to  7  years  each,  one 
term  expiring  each  year.       They  should  have  general  control  over 
all  schools  of  the  county     outside     of  independent  districts,  have 
power  to  levy  a  county- wide  school  tax  to  be  apportioned  on  an 
equalizing  basis  as  between  independent  districts  and  county  school 
districts,  and  should  appoint  as  executive  officer  of  the  board  a 
county  superintendent  of  schools. 

(6)  The  county  superintendent  should  be  appointed  for  a  term 
and  salary  designated  by  the  board;  should  hold  an  administrative 
and  supervisory  certificate  as  provided  in  the  certification  law; 
should  be  a  person  of  executive  ability,  broad  training  and  cul- 


390  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

ture,  and  successful  administrative  experience,  selected  without  re- 
gard to  residence  within  or  without  the  State  or  county,  but  solely 
because  of  special  fitness  for  the  position. 

(7)  The  county,  board,  upon  the  nomination  of  the  County 
superintendent,  should  appoint  the  supervisors  and  teaching  staff; 
should  levy  a  special  tax  for  the  support  of  the  schools  under  its 
administrative  control,  a-nd  apportion  it  among  the  schools  in  the 
county  according  to  their  needs;  provide  buildings  and  equipment; 
locate  school  buildings  and  sites;  fix  the  county  salary  schedule 
within  the  law;  and  perform  all  other  duties  usually  assigned  to 
boards  of  school  trustees. 

(8)  An  adequate  supervisory  and  clerical  staff,  suitable  office, 
accommodations  and  equipment,  and  traveling  expenses  for  superin- 
tendents and  supervisors  should  be  provided  by  the  county  board. 
Professional  supervisors  should  be  selected  because  of  special  ability, 
preparation,  and  successful  experience,  and  should  be  paid  salaries 
commensurate  with  the  importance  of  their  work.       They  should 
be  nominated  by  the  county  superintendent  and  act  as  his  assistants. 
At  least  one  supervisor  to  every  40  teachers  in  addition  to  the  first 
25  should  be  employed ;  one  supervisor  for  every  25  teachers  is  a  bet- 
ter allocation. 

(9)  As  soon  as  State  and  county  departments  are  properly 
staffed  a  Division  of  School  Attendance  should  be  established  in 
the  State  department,  which  should  work  with  and  through  the 
county  department  of  education.       The  responsibility  for  the  en- 
forcement of  the  compulsory  education  law  should  be  assumed  by 
this  division.      A  new  system  of  keeping  attendance  records  and  re- 
ports and  of  encouraging  better  school  attendance  should  be  inaugu- 
rated. 

COURSE  OF  STUDY  FOR  RURAL  SCHOOLS. 

(10)  A  new  course  of  study  should  be  prepared  by  the  State 
board  of  education  providing  specifically  in  content  and  organiza- 
tion for  the  needs  of  rural  schools  of  all  the  different  types  prevalent 
in  the  State. 

(11)  A  Division  of  School  Buildings  should  be   established 
in  the  State  department,  which  should  cooperate  with  the  county 
departments   of   education.       All  new   buildings   and   repairs   for 
amounts  greater  than  $400  should  be  submitted  by  the  county  su- 
perintendent for  approval  by  the  State  building  inspectors.      These 
officers  should  be  empowered  to  condemn  present  buildings  which 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  391 

do  not  meet  the  standards  and  requirements  fixed  by  the  State  board 
of  education. 

(12)  Special  provision  for  the  training  of  teachers  for  rural 
schools  should  be  made  at  an  early  date.       Standards  for  teacher 
preparing  courses  should  be  set  by  the  State  board  of  education  and 
requirements  should  conform  to  the  provisions  of  the  certification 
law  and  be  gradually  increased  as  rapidly  as  is  consistent  with  the 
demand  for  teachers  and  the  welfare  of  the  schools.       As  soon  as 
possible  requirements  for  teaching  certificates,  standards  for  teacher 
preparing  courses,  and  entrance  requirements  to   classes  and  in- 
stitutions preparing  teachers  should  be  equivalent  for  rural  and 
urban  schools. 

(13)  The  movement  for  centralizing  schools  needs  direction. 
The  administrative  organization  suggested  above  will  provide  this. 
Even  with  liberal  State  aid  for  equalization  of  educational  appoint- 
ments and  tax  burdens,  it  will  probably  be  necessary  for  the  State 
to  assume  all  or  a  large  proportion  of  the  expense  of  transporta- 
tion.      The  growing  number  of  centralized  schools  indicate  that 
there  is  a  demand  for  special  attention  to  their  needs  in  organiza- 
tion, management,  instruction,  and  course  of  study  on  the  part  of 
State  authorities. 

RURAL  HIGH  SCHOOLS. 

(1)  Oklahoma  should  develop  a  system  of  rural  junior  high 
schools  whereby  instruction  in  grades  1,  8,  and  9,  may  be  made 
effective  and  elementary  schools  relieved  of  the  burden  of  the  work 
in  grades  7  and  8.       Work  in  these  grades  is  now  maintained  at« 
the  cost  of  efficiency  in  the  first  six  grades. 

(2)  The  independent    district  system    should  be    abandoned 
and  the  county  unit  system  substituted  under  proper  conditions 
of  State   aid.     Inequalities   of  educational   opportunity  will  thus 
be  materially  reduced. 

(3)  The  State  board  for  vocational  education  should  be  made  a 
part  of  the  State  department  of  education  thus  avoiding  the  pos- 
sibility of  conflicting  educational  policies. 

PART  TIME  CLASSES  SHOULD  BE  DEVELOPED  FURTHER. 

(4)  Oklahoma  should  give  much  more  attention  to  the  de- 
velopment of  part-time  work  in  vocational  agricultural  and  in  home 
economics. 

(5)  Itinerant  teaching  on  the  part  of  vocational  instructors 
should  become  general  in  sparsely  settled  agricultural  counties. 


392  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

(6)  Club  work  with  boys  and  girls  under  the   Smith-Lever 
service  should  be  placed  on  a  definitely  educational  basis  under 
the  direction  of  county  superintendents. 

(7)  Curricula  definitely  adapted  to  the  needs  of  rural  boys 
and  girls  should  be  developed  in  rural  high  schools. 

(8)  Local  administration  in  high  schools  should  make  such  use 
of  alternation  and  rotation  of  subjects  in  the   curriculum  as  to 
insure  that  classes  are  of  the  proper  size  and  a  proper  teaching 
load  is  maintained. 

(9)  A  complete  reorganization   of  instruction  in  English  is 
desirable. 

SOCIAL  SCIENCES. 

(10)  Instruction  in  social  sciences  should  be  emphasized  and 
should  grow  out  of  problems  laid  bare  by  a  study  of  the  community. 

(11)  Vocational     guidance  rather  than  vocational     training 
should  be  sought  in  the  junior  high  school  years. 

(12)  The  State  department  should  immediately  undertake  the 
task  of  organizing  vocational  courses  in  agriculture  about  the  prac- 
tice jobs  of  the  dominant  agricultural  enterprises  of  the  State. 

(13)  Instruction  in  home  economics  should  make  general  use 
of  a  project  method  and  get  away  from  the  academic  method  now 
prevailing. 

(14)  State  schools  of  agriculture  should  be  placed  on  a  basis 
of  local  support  with  State  aid. 

(15)  State  Schools  of  agriculture  should  be  placed  under  the 
control  of  the  State  department  of  education  so  long  as  they  operate 
as  State  schools. 

(16)  The  State  schools  of  agriculture  should  conform  to  the 
recommendations  for  curricula  in  comprehensive  senior  high  schools. 

(17)  Administration  of  rural  high  schools  of  the  boarding  type 
should  bring  about  a  close  correlation  between  the  three  units  which 
make  up  the  schools,  the  school  proper,  the  farm,  and  the  boarding 
department. 

(18)  A  real  vocational  method  in  agriculture  should  be  fol- 
lowed at  such  schools  through  a  group  project  method. 

(19)  Land  owning  rural  high  schools  should  become  a  center 
for  agricultural  extension  work. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  393 

THE  UNIVERSITY  PREPARATORY  SCHOOL. 
AND  THE  OKLAHOMA  MILITARY  ACADEMY. 

Much  of  what  has  been  said  with  reference  to  the  District  Agri- 
cultural Schools  applies  with  equal  force  to  the  University  Prepara- 
tory School,  at  Tonkawa,  and  the  Oklahoma  Military  Academy,  at 
Claremore.  At  the  dates  when  these  schools  were  established,  it 
was  thought  that  the  maintenance  of  secondary  schools  of  these 
types  by  the  State  was  necessary  to  the  proper  development  of  pub- 
lic education  in  Oklahoma.  The  conditions  then  obtaining,  how- 
ever, no  longer  exist.  With  the  subsequent  improvements  which 
have  taken  place,  and  with  the  development  of  public  high  schools 
along  lines  recommended  in  this  report,  it  is  difficult  to  see  the 
necessity  for  the  continuance  of  these  schools  as  now  constituted 
under  State  support  and  control.  If  they  are  to  be  continued  as 
State  institutions,  their  functions  should  be  defined  more  specifi- 
cally, in  harmony  with  the  general  .educational  program  suggested 
in  this  report. 

VILLAGE  AND  CITY  SCHOOLS. 

Amend  or  revise  the  Constitution  in  such  a  manner  as  to  permit 
a  school  unit  to  raise  sufficient  funds  to  maintain  standard  schools. 

A  LONGER  SCHOOL  YEAR. 

Section  58  of  the  school  laws  should  be  repealed  and  a  law  en- 
acted requiring  all  school  districts  to  maintain  at  least  8  months 
of  school  of  1924-25 ;  and  9  months  thereafter. 

Amend  or  revise  Section  443  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it 
mandatory  upon  an  Excise  Board  to  levy  whatever  rate,  within 
the  law,  a  school  Board  may  decide  that  it  needs  to  run  the  school 
properly.  If  a  school  Board  fails  to  appropriate  a  sufficient  sum 
the  excise  board  may  exercise  the  right  to  increase  the  appropriation. 

The  present  system  of  issuing  teachers'  certificates  should  be 
gradually  abolished,  and  the  plan  herein  proposed  substituted  for 
the  present  system  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

NUMBER  AND  KIND  OF  CERTIFICATES. 

The  law  should  provide  that  the  State  Board  of  Education  shall 
make  regulations  concerning  the  number  and  classes  of  teaching 
certificates,  and  shall  fix  regulations  for  the  same  in  addition  to  the 
minimum  prerequisites  fixed  by  law;  that  the  board  shall  provide 
for  at  least  seven  classes  of  certificates,  with  at  least  two  grades 
of  each. 


394  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

As  rapidly  as  possible  all  teachers  in  grades  7  to  12  in  city 
schools  should  be  expected  to  meet  the  qualifications  prescribed 
by  the  North  Central  Association  of  Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools. 
These  standards  should  not,  for  the  present,  apply  to  rural  schools 
so  far  as  the  7th  and  8th  grades  are  concerned. 

The  certification  law  should  be  accompanied  by  a  minimum  sal- 
ary provision.  The  minimum  salary  should  be  prescribed  for  each 
grade  of  certificate,  which  salary  should  increase  at  least  $50.00  a 
step  as  requirements  increase. 

MODERN  EDUCATIONAL  OBJECTIVES. 

The  public  schools  of  Oklahoma  should  adopt  the  seven  cardi- 
nal objectives  of  education  announced  by  the  Committee  on  the  Re- 
organization of  Secondary  Education,  or  some  similar  formulation  of 
aims.  The  seven  objectives  are:  health,  command  of  fundamental 
processes,  worthy  home  membership,  vocation,  citizenship,  worthy 
use  of  leisure,  and  ethical  character. 

REORGANIZATION  OF  CITY  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS. 
At  present,  most  of  the  city  school  systems  of  Oklahoma  pro- 
vide twelve  grades  of  instruction.  The  twelve  years  are  divid- 
ed into  eight  years  of  elementary  and  four  years  of  high  school, 
or  what  is  commonly  known  as  the  8-4  plan  of  organization.  It 
is  gratifying  to  note  that  many  cities  in  Oklahoma  have  found  it 
advantageous  to  modify  the  standard  8-4  plan  and  to  inaugurate 
the  6-3-3  plan,  or  the  6-6  plan.  In  every  instance  observed,  the 
adoption  of  the  6-3-3  or  the  6-6  plan  has  apparently  been  decidedly 
advantageous.  This  plan  is  recommended  for  all  cities,  and  the 
standards  of  the  North  Central  Association  of  Colleges  and  Sec- 
ondary schools  may  well  be  adopted  as  guiding  principles  by  city 
school  boards  throughout  the  State  in  the  development  of  junior  and 
senior  high  schools. 

FREE  TEXT  BOOKS. 

County  uniformity  of  free  text-books  should  be  provided  ex- 
cept in  districts  of  2,500  population  or  over.  The  State  should  not 
attempt  to  print  its  own  text-books,  or  continue  the  present  policy 
of  State  uniformity. 

The  fundamental  principles  that  should  guide  in  the  selection 
of  text-books  have  been  largely  ignored  in  the  present  text-book  law. 
The  following  cardinal  principles,  which  should  be  the  basis  of  leg- 
islation in  regard  to  text-books,  are  set  forth  in  the  report. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  395 

STATE  AID  FOR  FREE  TEXT  BOOKS. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  State  shall  provide  each  school  unit, 
for  the  purchase  of  text-books,  the  sum  of  three  to  five  dollars  per 
pupil  enrolled  in  kindergarten  and  grades  one  to  six  inclusive;  the 
sum  of  four  to  six  dollars  for  each  white  and  colored  pupil  enrolled 
in  grades  seven  to  twelve  inclusive ;  provided  that  all  money  not  ex- 
pended for  the  purchase  of  text-books  may  be  spent  in  purchasing 
supplementary  and  reference  books ;  provided  also  that  all  money  not 
so  expended  shall  revert  to  the  general  school  fund  of  the  State.  It 
is  estimated  that  after  the  first  year  free  text-books  will  cost  from 
one-third  to  one-half  of  the  above  estimate.  This  provides  for  re- 
placements. Appropriations  should  be  made  on  this  basis. 

Practically  all  of  the  cities  visited  should  spend  much  more 
money  for  equipment;  including  charts,  maps,  sand  tables,  etc.,  for 
the  grade  schools.  The  needs  of  the  high  schools  in  the  way  of 
laboratory  equipment  have  been  fairly  well  met.  In  most  cities 
the  library  facilities  are  very  poor  and  should  be  materially  in- 
creased. Supplementary  reading  material  should  be  supplied  much 
more  liberally  than  is  done  throughout  the  twelve  grades.  Few 
schoolhouses  or  rooms  are  supplied  with  good  pictures.  Appro- 
priations made  for  the  purchase  of  choice  pictures  as  good  educa- 
tional investments. 

The  general  provision  in  Section  (397)  which  empowers  the 
State  Text-Book  Commission  "to  select  and  adopt  maps,  charts, 
globes  and  other  apparatus"  should  be  repealed,  along  with  other 
provisions  of  Section  (397).  Such  materials  should  be  selected  by 
the  same  agencies  as  is  elsewhere  provided  in  this  report  for  the 
selection  of  free  text-books. 

CHANGES  IN  TAKING  OF  CENSUS  AND  IN  COMPULSORY  AT- 
TENDANCE LAWS. 

The  following  changes  are  recommended: 

(a)  The      Superintendent  of  Schools  should  direct   and  the 
teachers  take  the  school  census. 

(b)  The    compulsory    attendance   law   should   apply    equally 
to  children  attending  non-public  schools. 

(c)  The  limiting  clause  of  Section  (240)  which  permits  chil- 
dren to  absent  themselves  one-third  of  the  time  the  school  is  in 
session  should  be  repealed,  and  "full  time"  attendance  should  be 
required. 

(d)  A  provision  should  be  added  to  Section  (253)  making  it 


396  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

mandatory  for  Counties  of  52,000  population  or  more  to  provide  a 
county  home  for  dependent  white  boys. 

(e)  Section   (245)   and  Section   (248)   should  be  amended  to 
read  ''Destitute  mothers  of  children  under  the  age  of  sixteen  years." 

(f )  The  minimum  age  for  compulsory  school  attendance  should 
be  reduced  from  eight  to  seven  years. 

(g)  All  non-public  schools  should  be  subject  to  inspection  by 
local  and  State  school  authorities,,  and  should  be  required  to  maintain 
standards  for  teacher  preparation  and  certification,  courses  of  study, 
school  hygiene  and  sanitation,  and  attendance   requirements,   the 
equivalent  of  standards  set  up  by  the  local  and  State  public  school 
authorities. 

ATTENDANCE  LAWS. 

Directly  associated  with  the  school  census  is  the  problem  of 
attendance.  Section  (241)  requires  the  appointment  in  cities 
or  incorporated  towns  of  truancy  officers  by  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion, and  in  School  districts  the  appointment  of  truancy  officer  by 
County  Superintendent.  Attendance  in  city  school  systems  seems 
to  be  fairly  satisfactory  in  the  white  schools.  Attendance  officers 
state,  however,  that  the  provision  which  requires  (Section  340) 
that  the  child  be  compelled  to  attend  but  two-thirds  of  the  session 
practically  nullifies  the  effective  administration  of  the  law. 

This  limiting  clause,  namely  the  two-thirds  proposition  in  the 
law,  should  be  repealed  immediately,  and  all  children  compelled  to 
attend  the  full  session  unless  physically  or  mentally  incapacitated. 
This  should  apply  equally  to  white  and  colored  children  under  six- 
teen years  of  age. 

Section  (245)  and  Section  (248),  which  provide  for  the  aiding 
of  " Destitute  mothers'  should  be  amended  to  read  "Mothers  of 
children  under  sixteen  years."  There  is  a  gap  of  two  years  be- 
tween the  age  fourteen,  as  stated  in  the  present  law,  and  sixteen 
years,  provided  for  in  "Compulsory  Attendance  Law  and  Child 
Labor  Law,"  which  has  proved  to  be  the  cause  of  genuine  distress. 

CONCERNING  COUNTY  HOME. 

Section  (253)  provides  for  "A  county  home  for  dependent  white 
boys"  in  any  county  having  a  population  of  52,000  in  1920.  This 
number  might  well  be  reduced  to  twenty-five  thousand  population 
and  provision  made  that  two  or  more  counties  may  jointly  carry  out 
the  provisions  of  the  Act.  In  counties  over  52,000  it  is  recommended 
that  the  act  be  made  mandatory. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  397 

RETARDATION  AND  ELIMINATION  OF  PUPILS. 

The  following  recommendations  are  made  for  reducing  retard- 
ation : 

(a)  Parents  should  be  urged  to  enter  children  at  the  earliest 
possible  legal  age. 

(b)  Kindergartens  should  be  established     wherever     school 
funds  permit  and  enrollment  justifies. 

(c)  Greater  care  should  be  taken  in  grading,  classifying,  and 
promoting  children. 

(d)  Homogeneous  speed  grouping  should  begin  with  the  first 
grade  and  continue  throughout  the  system. 

(e)  Scientific  diagnostic  and  remedial  work  should  accompany 
homogeneous  speed  grouping. 

(f)  Medical  and  physical  supervision  should  be  provided  for 
all  children. 

(g)  Regular   attendance   in   the   primary    grades    should   be 
stressed  as  in  upper  grades. 

DEFINITION  OF  SCHOOL  DISTRICTS. 

At  the  present  time  there  is  some  confusion  concerning  the  defi- 
nition of  the  different  types  of  school  districts,  and  also  concerning 
the  application  of  various  laws  to  the  different  types.  This  con- 
fusion should  be  cleared  up  in  order  that  the  proper  administration 
of  the  various  school  districts  may  be  facilitated. 

SCHOOL  HYGIENE  AND  HEALTH  EDUCATION. 

One  of  the  cardinal  principles  in  modern  education  is  the  conser- 
vation of  the  health  of  the  pupils  and  the  creating  of  a  health  con- 
science. That  is,  the  individual  pupil  should  think  not  only  of 
his  own  health  but  also  how  he  may  contribute  to  a  general  commun- 
ity health.  Children  should  be  taught  the  principles  of  health  and 
hygiene. 

HELPFUL  SERVICE  OF  THE  SCHOOL  NURSE. 

One  of  the  most  helpful  agents  in  promoting  health  in  the 
public  schools  is  the  school  nurse.  By  inspecting  the  school  fre- 
quently she  discovers  communicable  diseases  in  their  incipient  state 
and  thus  prevents  epidemics.  The  nurse  also  many  times  discovers 
physical  abnormalities  unsuspected  by  the  parents  of  the  children. 
The  nurse's  work  is  not  only  corrective  and  remedial  but  also  edu- 
cational. 

The  splendid  work  in  educational  tests  and  measurements  in  a 


398  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

I 

number  of  school  systems  should  be  encouraged  and  extended,  and 
its  benefits  made  State-wide. 

A  law  should  be  enacted  and  enforced  making  it  illegal  for  any 
school  board  to  erect  or  remodel  any  school  building  until  the  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  or  an  officer  delegated  by 
him,  has  certified  to  the  clerk  of  the  Board  in  writing  to  the  effect 
that  he  has  examined  and  approved  the  plans  and  specifications  for 
the  proposed  building  or  remodeling.  A  minimum  amount  of  two 
acres  of  ground  for  each  school  building  should  be  required,  unless 
for  reason  the  requirement  is  waived  by  the  State  Superintendent 
of  Public  Instruction.  The  State  Superintendent  of  Public  In- 
struction should  be  required  to  prepare  and  adopt  regulations  fix- 
ing certain  minimum  standards  for  school  buildings  and 
equipment,  and  covering  the  plans  and  specifications  of  the  same. 
Local  school  authorities  who  ignore  and  violate  these  standards 
should  be  punishable  under  the  law. 

Boards  of  education  in  growing  communities  should  be  encour- 
aged to  lay  out  a  ten  to  twenty  year  building  program  for  the 
community.  Sites  should  be  purchased  as  long  as  possible  in  ad- 
vance of  the  time  when  they  will  be  needed.  School  systems  should 
not  be  allowed,  like  Topsy,  to  just  grow.  If  city  planning  is  pos- 
sible, city  school  system  planning  is  even  more  possible. 

Many  cities  in  Oklahoma  are  making  satisfactory  progress  in 
this  regard,  and  this  progress  is  to  be  commended  to  other  munici- 
palities. 

The  training  equipment  and  ability  of  the  teachers  in  the  city 
schools  of  Oklahoma  rank  up  with  the  same  class  in  other  cities  of 
the  United  States.  At  present,  there  is  no  shortage  in  the  supply 
of  city  school  teachers.  This  applies  to  both  trained  and  untrained 
teachers. 

If  every  superintendent  rigidly  observes  the  practice  of  employ- 
ing, for  all  new  vacancies  in  the  elementary  school,  only  normal 
school  graduates,  and  only  college  graduates  in  high  school,  it  would 
be  but  a  short  time  before  Oklahoma  would  rank  with  Massachu- 
setts in  the  qualifications  and  training  of  the  teachers. 

Few  cities  in  Oklahoma  attempt  to  maintain  a  scientifically 
graded  salary  schedule.  The  few  attempts  are  commendable  in 
their  accomplishments. 

The  Oklahoma  School  Law  on  teachers'  pensions  apparently 
is  a  failure.  There  is  a  law  on  the  statute  books,  but  there  is  no 
money  for  its  enforcement.  Furthermore,  the  law  itself  is  scarcely 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  399 

adequate.  Oklahoma  should  have  an  adequate  teachers'  pension 
law.  A  commission  should  be  appointed,  authorized  by  the  Legis- 
lature, for  the  sole  purpose  of  investigating  and  reporting  to  the 
Legislature  a  sound  State-wide  teachers'  pension  and  annuity  sys- 
tem. 

The  powers  and  duties  of  boards  of  education  should  be  more 
specifically  defined. 

The  relation  of  the  superintendent  to  the  board  should  be 
clearly  defined. 

The  law  on  the  tenure  of  school  superintendents  should  be 
amended  so  as  to  permit  a  Board  of  Education  to  contract  with  a 
Superintendent  for  a  period  of  three  to  five  years  by  a  majority 
vote. 

The  powers  and  duties  of  superintendents  and  other  officers 
should  be  specifically  defined. 

The  Survey  commends  the  Junior  Colleges  which  have  been  es- 
tablished in  a  few  cities,  and  the  desire  to  develop  standard  one  and 
two-year  college  courses  in  conjunction  with  other  city  school  sys- 
tems. It  is  more  economical  to  train  college  Freshmen  and  Sopho- 
mores in  standard  public  junior  colleges  under  the  administration 
and  partial  support  of  local  school  units  than  it  is  to  train  them 
in  State  schools. 

SCHOOLS  FOR  NEGROES. 

Schools  for  Negroes  should  be  operated  on  the  same  basis,  and 
maintain  the  same  standards  as  white  schools,  and  they  should  be 
under  the  administration  and  support  of  the  Board  of  Education 
of  each  local  unit  with  a  population  of  2,500  or  over. 

EDUCATION  FOR  INDIANS. 

The  factors  to  be  considered  in  formulating  policies  for  Indian 
education  are  first,  the  economic,  hygiene,  and  tribal  conditions  of 
the  Indians;  second,  the  enumeration  and  enrollment  of  Indian 
youth  of  school  age,  and  the  school  facilities  now  available  for  the 
Indians;  third,  the  financial  support  of  Indian  education,  and  the 
relation  of  this  support  to  the  extensive  areas  of  the  non-taxable 
land  in  Oklahoma;  fourth,  the  principles  and  methods  of  Indian 
Education  during  the  transition  of  Indian  youth  from  the  boarding 
and  day  schools  of  the  U.  S.  Indian  Bureau  to  the  public  school  sys- 
tem of  the  state;  and  fifth,  recommendations  concerning  the  edu- 
cation of  Indians  in  Oklahoma. 


400  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

SOME  FACTS  CONCERNING  THE  CHILDREN. 

In  order  to  have  some  estimate  of  the  number  of  Indian  chil- 
dren now  in  boarding  schools  who  should  possibly  be  in  public  school, 
a  study  was  made  of  the  homes  of  the  pupils  in  three  of  the  largest 
government  boarding  schools  in  western  Oklahoma  and  three  of 
the  Tribal  schools  of  eastern  Oklahoma  with  the  following  points 
in  view: 

(1.)  To  find  the  number  of  Indian  children  now  in  boarding 
schools  who  should  continue  there. 

(2.)  To  find  the  number  of  children  now  in  boarding  schools 
who  might  be  placed  in  public  schools  if  provided  with  the  assistance 
of  a  Home  and  School  Visitor  or  Field  matron  to  act  as  interpreter 
of  the  child  to  the  public  school  and  of  the  school  to  the  home  of 
the  child. 

(3.)  To  discover  the  number  of  Indian  children  now  in  board- 
ing schools  whose  home  conditions  are  such  that  they  can  be  in 
available  public  schools. 

The  following  conclusions  can  be  deduced:  (1.)  Of  the 
598  children  on  whose  home  conditions  information  could  be  gained, 
406  should  continue  in  boarding  schools.  (2.)  131  might  be  trans- 
ferred to  public  schools  if  provided  with  the  help  of  a  Home  and 
School  Visitor.  (3.)  61,  only  15  of  whom  are  from  the  western 
district,  might  now  be  in  public  schools. 

The  following  conditions  make  attendance  of  the  majority  of 
the  pupils  in  boarding  schools  either  desirable  or  necessary :  Finan- 
cial inability  to  pay  tuition  in  public  schools;  distance  from  public 
school,  (three  or  more  miles  and  difficulties  of  travel  where  the 
distances  are  less)  ;  lack  of  home  because  of  death,  immorality,  sep- 
aration, and  wandering  propensities  of  parents  or  cruelty  of  step- 
parents; insanitary  home  conditions  and  disease. 

DIFFICULTIES  TO  BE  OVERCOME. 

The  following  statements  from  the  Government  Health  Drive 
records  throw  additional  light  on  the  need  of  boarding  schools  for 
Indian  children,  or  a  radical'  change  in  the  public  school  system : 

(1.)  "Many  Indian  children  14  or  15  years  of  age  are  in  the 
1st  and  2nd  grades." 

(2.)  "Indian  children  in  public  schools  do  not  always  receive 
proper  consideration  from  white  pupils  and  teachers." 

(3.)  "Indian  children  enrolled  in  public  schools  attend  so  ir- 
regularly that  they  receive  little  benefit." 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  401 

(4.)  "The  length  of  the  school  year  in  public  schools  is  shorten- 
ed because  of  the  necessity  for  using  the  children  in  the  cotton 
fields." 

(5.)  "In  country  schools  of  Oklahoma,  hygiene  and  sanitation 
are  not  taught  until  the  8th  grade,  which  is  reached  only  by  a  few 
of  the  Indian  children  most  in  need  of  this  information. ' ' 

The  significant  facts  shown  in  Table  50  are  as  follows: 

(1.)  The  number  of  Indian  youth  of  school  age  (6  to  21)  is 
30,798. 

(2.)  The  number  enrolled  in  public,  government  and  mission 
schools  is  25,424.  The  apparently  favorable  significance  of  this 
figure  is  greatly  diminished  by  the  fact  that  the  attendance  for  most 
of  the  large  groups  is  only  about  60  per  cent. 

(3.)  21,245  Indians,  forming  84)  per  cent  of  the  Indian  school 
enrollment,  are  already  in  public  schools. 

(4.)  Only  3,584  Indians,  or  14  per  cent  of  the  Indian  school 
enrollment,  are  in  government  and  tribal  schools. 

The  following  facts  concerning  the  pupils  enrolled  in  the  gov- 
ernment schools  are  both  significant  and  interesting: 

(1.)  Classification  of  the  pupils  according  to  grade  shows 
that  89  per  cent  are  in  grades  1  to  6  inclusive ;  9  per  cent  in  grades 
7  and  8 ;  and  only  2  per  cent  above  the  8th  grade. 

(2.)  The  age  classification  indicates  that  29  per  cent  are  10 
years  of  age  or  under ;  47  per  cent  are  11  to  15  years  inclusive ;  19 
per  cent  are  16  to  18  inclusive;  and  5  per  cent  are  over  18  years 
of  age. 

(3.)  According  to  proportion  of  Indian  blood,  the  full-blood 
Indians  are  71  per  cent;  the  %  to  %  bloods  are  24  per  cent;  and 
14  blood  are  only  5  per  cent. 

FINANCIAL  SUPPORT. 

The  study  of  the  financial  support  of  education  for  Indians  in 
Oklahoma  involves  a  consideration  of  appropriations  made  by  Con- 
gress for  Indian  Education,  the  school  expenditures  from  tribal 
funds,  public  school  taxes,  and  the  loss  of  income  to  the  state  on 
account  of  the  extensive  areas  of  non-taxable  lands  in  the  state. 

The  potential  taxes  on  untaxed  lands  can  only  be  estimated 
on  the  basis  of  reports  obtained  from  county  tax  assessors  and  of- 
ficers of  the  U.  S.  Indian  Bureau.  The  estimates  relating  to  the 
taxation  of  untaxable  land  are  as  follows:  (For  additional  figures, 
see  Appendix  B.) 


402  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

(1.)     Number  of  acres  of  untaxable  land  7,000,000 

(2.)     Average  value  per  acre  of  untaxable  land  (1922),    $18.33 
(3.)     Average  rate  of  school  taxation  (1922)  10  mills. 
(4.)     Taxable    value    of   7,000,000   acres    at    $18.33    per    acre, 
$128,300,000. 

(5.)     Potential  tax  @  10  mills $1,283,000 

Comparison  of  Potential  Tax  and  U.  S.  Government  Ex- 
penditures for  Indian  education : 

Potential  Tax $1,283,000 

Appropriations     from     U.  S.  Govt.     and     Tribal 
Funds  ...  855,000 


$    428,000 

The  differences  between  these  two  figures  amounting  to  $428,- 
000.00  is  the  present  loss  to  the  State  because  of  non-taxable  Indian 
lands,  and  this  difference  added  to  the  amounts  now  expended 
'by  the  government  from  Congressional  appropriations  and  tribal 
funds  equals  the  sum  that  will  become  available  for  the  support 
of  public  schools  when  the  trust  period  expires. 

INCREASED  FEDERAL  AID  FOR  INDIAN  EDUCATION 
SHOULD  BE  SOUGHT. 

It  is  evident  that  the  U.  S.  Government  should  adopt  a  policy 
of  liberal  support  for  all  educational  movements  providing  for  the 
preparation  of  the  Indian  youth  to  enter  the  public  school  system 
so  that  the  transfer  may  be  made  with  the  least  possible  friction 
or  injustice  to  the  Indians. 

The  history  of  the  Indian  people  in  America  shows  that  they  are 
being  gradually  merged  into  general  population  of  the  country.  The 
policy  of  U.  S.  Indian  bureau  is  in  accord  with  the  general  tenden- 
cy of  Indian  life. 

Sound  educational  policy  requires  that  the  responsibility  and 
function  of  both  groups  of  schools  should  be  clearly  recognized. 

(1.)  U.  S.  Government  Schools,  originally  offering  the  only 
school  facilities  to  Indians  and  still  needed  to  supplement  the  lim- 
ited school  facilities  of  the  state,  will  be  needed  for  some  time  to 
come  to  provide  education  for  the  following  special  classes;  (a.) 
orphans;  (b)  those  subnormal  in  health;  (c)  those  excluded  by 
poverty;  (d)  those  living  too  far  from  school;  (e)  those  with 
unfavorable  home  conditions. 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  403 

(2.)  The  Public  School  System  with  its  numerous  school  dis- 
tricts is  fitted  to  care  for  the  younger  children  who  can  thus  remain 
at  home  and  receive  their  training  in  the  local  schools. 

HOME  AND  SCHOOL  VISITORS  SHOULD  BE  APPOINTED. 

To  the  end  that  the  public  school  facilities  for  Indian  children 
may  be  improved,  not  only  for  those  already  enrolled,  but  also  to 
justify  the  enrollment  of  still  larger  numbers  of  Indian  children  it 
is  urged  that  Home  and  School  Visitors  should  be  provided  in  those 
counties  having  large  numbers  of  Indian  children  to  be  educated. 

RECOMMENDATIONS. 

(1)  The  school  system  should  be  organized  so  that  the  Indian 
youth  shall  ultimately  be  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
State.       To  this  end  the  responsibility  of  the  Federal  government 
will  gradually  decrease,  and  that  of  the  state  will  increase,  until 
the  schools  are  entirely  controlled  and  maintained  by  the  State. 

(2)  Home  and  School  Visitors  should  be  provided  in  the  coun- 
ties having  large  numbers  of  Indian  children.       These  workers  are 
to  study  the  Indian  homes  and  the  schools,  and  to  enlist  the  help 
of  all  county  agencies  for  their  improvement.     During  the  trust 
period  the  Federal  government  should  give  liberal  financial  aid  for 
the  employment  of  these  workers. 

(3)  The  present  system  of  Federal  and  Tribal  boarding  schools 
shouid  be  continued  so  long  as  necessary  to  care  for  special  classes 
of  Indian  children,  such  as  orphans,   and  those  unable  to   attend 
public  schools  on  account  of  bad  health,  poverty,     distance     from 
school,  or  other  disabilities. 

(4)  The  government  school  plants  should  be  eventually  acquir- 
ed by  the   State  of  Oklahoma,  to  be  used  as  secondary  training 
schools  offering  trade  courses,  agriculture,  and  home  economics  to 
white  and  Indian  youths. 

(5)  The  Federal  government  should  provide  liberal  financial 
aid  for  the  education  of  Indian  children  in  public  schools  during  the 
Trust  period. 

EDUCATION  FOR  NEGROES. 

It  is  assumed  that  all  recommendations  of  a  general  nature  in 
other  chapters  of  this  survey  will  apply  to  both  white  and  colored 
schools. 

(1)  The  white  and  colored  schools,  both  city  and  rural  should 
be  supported  financially  in  the  same  manner. 


404  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

(2)  A  State  Supervisor  of  Negro  Schools  should  be  employed 
to  give  his  full  time  to  the  betterment  of  Negro  schools  in  the  State. 
This  supervisor  should  be  appointed  by  the  State  Superintendent  of 
Public  Instruction,  and  should  be  paid  not  less  than  $3,000  per  year, 
and  allowed  at  least  $1,200  for  travel  expense. 

(3)  The   course   of   study   in   Negro   schools,   both   city   and 
rural  should  be  made  more  practical  and  should  be  more  closely 
related  to  the  life  and  needs    of  the  pupils. 

COUNTY  INDUSTRIAL  SUPERVISORS  NEEDED. 

(4)  In   those    15    counties   having   the    largest    rural    Negro 
populations,  county  industrial  supervisors  should  be  appointed  to 
work  as  assistants  to  the  county  superintendents,  in  order  that  the 
work  in  the  Negro  rural  schools  may  be  of  more  value  to  the  pupils. 
The  work  of  these  supervisors  should  be  similar  to  that  of  the 
Jeanes  Fund  workers  in  Carter  and  Wagoner  Counties,  and  in  other 
States.     A  salary  of  not  less  than  $1,500  should  be  paid,  and  the 
worker  employed  for  12  months.    These  supervising  teachers  should 
be  appointed  by  the  county  superintendents,  subject  to  the  approval 
of  the  State  Supervisor  of  Negro  Schools.     In  order  to  induce  the 
counties  to  employ  these  workers,  half  the  salary  should  be  paid  by 
the  State.     An  appropriation  of  $11,250  will  be  required  for  this. 
Well-trained  and  experienced  colored  women  teachers  should  be 
secured  for  this  work. 

(5)  No  more  one-teacher  schools  should  be  built,  or  operated, 
than   is   absolutely   necessary.     As   far   as   possible,    consolidation 
should  be  effected  so  that  the  children  may  be  taught  in  schools  hav- 
ing two  or  more  teachers. 

(6)  Where  conditions  make  a  one-teacher  school  necessary, 
the  school  should  have  an  industrial  room  as  well  as  a  large  class- 
room, and  should  be  equipped  so  that  the  teacher  may  have  plenty 
of  material  to  work  with. 

(7)  A  State  appropriation  should  be  made  to  match  the  Fed- 
eral funds  now  available  for  the  teaching  of  vocational  agriculture 
under  the   Smith-Hughes   Act.     Thus   if   $5,000   is   available,   the 
State  should  set  aside  an  equal  amount.      Since  this  money  is  match- 
ed by  local  funds,  the  total  amount  then  available  would  be  $20,000. 

(8)  In  order  to  encourage  the  teaching  of  vocational  home  eco- 
nomics, a  State  appropriation  of  $10,000  should  be  made,  to  pay  one- 
half  the  salaries  of  teachers  in  State  approved  rural  schools.      This 
work  should  be  under  the  direction  of  the  State  Supervisor  of  Home 
Economics,   and  at  least  90  minutes  per  day  should  be   devoted 


SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS  405 

to  the  work.       This  amount  would  be  sufficient  to  provide  for  20 
schools,  with  an  average  salary  of  $1,000. 

(9)  The  State  college  for  Negroes,  either  at  Langston  or  at 
some  other  location,  should  be  provided  with  dormitories  and  a 
teaching  staff,  such  than'  an  adequate  supply  of  teachers  for  Okla- 
homa's schools,  may  be  trained  in  the  State. 

(10)  In  addition  to  providing  for  a  supply  of  teachers,  a  col- 
lege department  should  be  developed  at  the   State   college — now 
the  Colored  Normal  and  Agricultural  University,  in  order  that  those 
students  who  expect  to  engage  in  other  professions  may  receive  col- 
lege training  without  having  to  leave  the  State. 

STATE  AID  FOR  RURAL  SCHOOL  BUILDING. 

(11)  A  policy  of  State  aid  in  the  building  of  rural  schools 
should  be  inaugurated,  and  an  initial  appropriation  of  $25,000  should 
be  made  for  the  first  year.    Aid  should  be  given  on  the  same  condi- 
tions under  which  aid  from  the  Rosenwald  Fund  is  secured.      This 
would  insure  proper  use  of  the  State  money,  and  would  insure  the 
proper  design  and  construction  of  rural  schools. 

(12)  Provision  should  be  made  for  giving  additional  training,, 
especially  along  vocational  lines,  to  those  boys  and  girls  who'  are 
forced  to  leave  school  before  completing  the  high  school  course.      By 
means  of  evening  schools  in  cities,  for  example,  many  of  these  boys 
and  girls  can  be  reached. 

(13)  The  high  school  course  in  a  city  school  should  include  at 
least  one  vocational  course,  designed  to  prepare  students  for  some 
definite  occupation  open  to  them  in  the  city. 

(14)  An  effort  should  be  made  to  make  the  work  in  primary 
grades  more  effective,  especially  in  city  and  town  schools.     This 
can  be  done  by  securing  better  primary  teachers,  by  employing  more 
teachers,  so  that  there  will  be  fewer  pupils  per  teacher  in  the  first 
four  grades,  and  through  supervision  by  the  superintendent  or  a 
primary  supervisor. 

(15)  In  order  that  at  least  one  vocational  high  school  may  be 
developed  in  each  of  the  15  counties  having  the  largest  Negro  rural 
population,  it  is  recommended  that  the  State  aid  one  school  in  each 
county  to  the  extent  of  $1,000  per  year.      The  schools  aided  should 
be  recommended  by  county  superintendents,  and  approved  by  the 
State  Department  of  Public  Instruction,  as  to  location,  building, 
local  support,  equipment,  and  teaching  force.     A  State  appropria- 
tion of  $15,000  would  be  necessary  for  this.      Every  school  should 
be  inspected  and  approved,  or  disapproved,  each  year,  in  order  that 
proper  standards  may  be  maintained. 


APPENDIX  A. 

LEGISLATION  AFFECTING  CITY  SCHOOL  SYSTEMS. 

The  following  paragraphs  from  the  report  of  the  survey  of  the 
public  schools  of  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  will  be  suggestive  to  the 
citizens  of  Oklahoma  in  considering  possible  changes  in  city  school 
organization  and  procedure.  (See  U.  S.  Bureau  of  Education, 
Bulletin  1921,  No.  28,  pp.  12-17.) 

II.     THE  LEGISLATIVE  PROGRAM. 

There  is  a  commendable  tendency  in  progressive  States  to  elimi- 
nate special  charter  legislation  for  independent  city  school  districts. 
When  the  State  drafts  a  good  general  law  for  the  purpose,  it  saves 
a  city  a  good  deal  of  special  maneuvering  simply  to  come  in  under 
it. 

If  Wheeling  does  not  choose  to  follow  this  course,  it  is  recom- 
mended that,  in  rewriting  the  charter,  the  general  State  legislation 
be  accepted  so  far  as  it  is  suited  to  conditions  in  Wheeling,  and  that 
special  legislation  be  sought  only  in  so  far  as  the  general  legislation 
is  not  suitable. 

NECESSARY  DISTINCTION  BETWEEN  STATE  LEGISLATION 
AND  THE  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS  OF  THE  BOARD. 

Only  the  more  general  and  fundamental  things  should  be  ac- 
complished by  State  legislation.  Matters  of  detail  should  be  left 
to  the  by-laws,  rules  and  regulations,  and  other  legislation  by  the 
board. 

In  the  following  summary  of  the  things  to  be  taken  care  of  in 
the  proposed  reorganization  of  the  affairs  of  the  independent  school 
,  district  of  Wheeling,  those  matters  which  are  usually  best  taken  care 
of  by  State  legislation  are  designated  by  the  letter  (S) ;  and  those 
which  are  best  included  under  the  rules  and  regulations  or  other  leg- 
islation of  the  board  are  designated  by  the  letter  (R). 

SUMMARY  OF  POINTS  TO  BE  COVERED. 

(1)  The  subdistrict  divisions  should  be  abolished,  except  for 
attendance  purposes.      (S) 

(2)  There  should  be  a  school  board  of  five  members,  elected 
at  large,  one  member  being  elected  each  year,  for  a  term  of  five 

406 


APPENDIX  A  401 

years.  (If  elections  must  be  biennial,  then  the  term  should  be  six 
years,  one-third  of  the  board,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  being  elected  at 
each  election.)  (S) 

(3)  It  is   desirable,   though   not   so    essential,   that   member* 
be  nominated  by  petition  and  elected  on  nonpartisaii  ballot,  at  special 
school  elections,  held  in  the  school  buildings,  and  directed  by  the 
board  of  education.       (S) 

(4)  Board  members  should  be  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
and  residents  of  the  city  for  at  least  three  years  immediately  preced- 
ing election.       (S) 

(5)  No  salary  or  other  remuneration  should  be  paid  to  board: 
members.       This  does  not  preclude  the  payment  of  traveling  and 
other  necessary  expenses  in  the  conduct  of  the  boards  business.     (S) 

(6)  When  a  vacancy  occurs  other  than  by  expiration  of  term 
of  office,  it  should  be  filled  by  the  mayor  (subject  to  confirmation 
by  the  council)  until  the  next  school  election,  when  it  should  be  fill- 
ed by  election  for  the  unexpired  portion  of  the  term.       (S) 

(7)  A  specific  day  and  hour  should  be  fixed  for  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  board  subsequent  to  the  annual  election,  at  which  time 
the  board  is  organized  for  the  year.       (S) 

(8)  A  sepcific  day  and  hour  should  be  fixed  for  the  regular 
monthly  board  meetings  and  a  method  prescribed  for  calling  special 
meetings.       (E) 

(9)  The  board  should  have  no  standing  committees  except  the 
committee  of  the  whole.       (R) 

(10)  When  tasks  arise  demanding  committee  work,  the  board 
should  appoint  temporary  special  committees.       (R) 

(11)  The  superintendent   of  education  should  be   made   the 
chief  executive  of  the  board  of  education  in  its  administration  of 
all  aspects  of  the  school  system.       (S) 

(12)  The  board  should  appoint  the  superintendent  for  a  rela- 
tively long  term  of  three  or  four  years,  subject  to  removal  only 
for  cause  by  a  four-fifths  vote  of  the  board.       (S) 

(13)  In  Wheeling  the  board  should  create    (if  not  already 
created)    and  provide  for  the  following  positions  subordinate  to 
the  chief  executive :     (1)     Business  assistant  (who  also  should  be 
clerk  of  the  board) ;   (2)     manager  of  properties   (or  director  of 
buildings  and  grounds),  subordinate  to  the  business  assistant;   (3) 
director  of  census  and  attendance;  (4)     director  of  health  (includ- 
ing both  medical  inspection  and  physical  education) ;     (5)     primary 
.supervisor.    Beyond  these,  the  present  provision  of  special  super- 


408  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

visors,  principals,  teachers,  nurses,  etc.,  appears  to  be  good.     (R) 
(By-laws.) 

(14)  Outside  of  the  major  executive  organization  the  board 
should  provide  for  and  appoint  for  only  part-time  or  occasional 
duties  an  attorney,  a  treasurer,  and  an  auditor.     (R)     (By-laws.) 

POWERS  AND  DUTIES  OF  THE  BOARD. 

(15)  The  board  should  possess  corporate  powers:    The  power 
to  acquire,  hold,  lease,  and  sell     real  and  personal  property;  to 
receive  bequests  and  donations;  to  sue  and  be  sued;  to  condemn 
property  needed  for  education  purposes ;  and  to  perform  other  cor- 
porate acts  required  for  the  management  and  control  of  the  schools 
and  other  agencies  committed  to  its  care.       (S) 

(16)  The  powers  and  duties  of  the  board  of  education  should 
be: 

(a)  To  determine  all  questions  of  general  policy  to  be  employ- 
ed in  the  conduct  of  education.     (S) 

(b)  To  create,  abolish,  modify,  and  maintain  such  positions, 
schools,  divisions,  classifications,  etc.,  as  may  be  necessary  for  the 
efficient  administration  of  the  work.       (S) 

(c)  To  have  the  care  custody,  title,  control,  and  safekeeping 
of  all  school  property  or  other  property  of  the  city  used  for  educa- 
tional, social,  or  recreational  activities  and  not  specifically  placed 
by  law  under  the  control  of  some  other  body  or  officer,  and  to  pre- 
scribe rules  and  regulations  for  the  use  and  preservation  of  such 
property.      (S) 

(d)  To  purchase  new  school  sites  or  additions  to  sites,  and  to 
order  new  buildings  or  additions  to  buildings  erected,  as  the  needs 
of  the  schools  and  other  educational,  social,  and  recreational  agen- 
cies under  their  control  may  necessitate;  and  to  approve  all  con- 
tracts entered  into.       (S) 

(e)  To  rent  or  lease  property  required  for  the  use  of  schools  or 
other  agencies  maintained  and  directed  by  the  board.       (S) 

(f )  To  establish  and  maintain  such  free  elementary  schools,  in- 
termediate schools,  high  schools,  kindergartens,  vocational  and  in- 
dustrial schools,  technical  schools,  night  schools,  part-time  or  con- 
tinuation schools  and  classes,   vacation  schools,   open-air  schools, 
schools  for  adults,  schools  for  delinquents,  schools  for  mentally  and 
physically  defective  children,  or  such  other  schools  or  classes  as 
the  board  shall  deem  necessary  to  meet  the  needs  and  demands  of 
the  city.       (S) 


APPENDIX  A  409 

(g)  To  establish  and  maintain  libraries  and  museums  which 
may  be  open  to  the  public,  to  organize  and  maintain  public  lecture 
courses,  and  to  establish,  equip,  and  maintain  play  grounds,  recre- 
ation centers,  social  centers,  and  reading  rooms.  (S) 

(h)  To  authorize  the  formulation  of  the  annual  budget  of 
expenditures  for  the  schools,  public  library,  and  other  agencies  main- 
tained by  the  board,  and  to  pass  upon  and  adopt  such  budget  as 
the  work  appears  to  necessitate.  (S) 

(i)     To  fix  the  annual  tax  levy  for  education.      (S) 
(j)      To  fix  the  annual  tax  levy  for  education.     (S) 
(k)     To  approve  all  expenditures  made.       (S) 
(1)       To  approve  all  contracts  entered  into.     (S) 
(m)     To  authorize  the  formulation  of  the  by-laws,  rules,  and 
regulations  needed  for  the  direction  and  management  of  the  schools 
and  other  agencies  and  activities  under  the  board,  and  to  approve 
such  by-laws,  rules,  and  regulations  before  they  become  operative. 
(S) 

(n)  To  authorize  the  courses  of  study  which  shall  be  given  in 
the  schools  or  by  other  educational  agencies  directed  and  maintained 
by  the  board,  and  to  approve  the  content  of  such  courses  before  they 
become  operative.  (S) 

(o)  To  authorize  the  selection  and  determination  of  such  books, 
maps,  globes,  apparatus,  furniture,  tools,  and  other  equipment  and 
supplies  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  proper  and  efficient  manage- 
ment of  the  schools  and  other  educational,  social,  and  recreational 
agencies  and  activities  under  its  management  and  control,  and  to 
approve  such  selections  and  determinations  before  purchases  are 
made.  (S) 

(p)  To  authorize  the  purchase  and  provision  of  such  books, 
maps,  globes,  apparatus,  furniture,  tools,  and  other  equipment  and 
supplies  as  may  be  necessary  for  the  proper  and  efficient  manage- 
ment of  the  schools  and  other  educational,  social,  and  recreational 
agencies  and  activities  under  its  management  and  control,  and  to 
approve  prices  and  other  conditions  of  purchase,  before  such  pur- 
chases are  made.  (S) 

(q)  To  select  and  employ  a  superintendent  of  education,  who 
shall  be  the  chief  executive  of  the  board.  (S) 

(r)  To  authorize  the  determination  of  the  number  and  quali- 
fications of  employees  to  be  provided  for  the  work  of  the  several 
schools  and  agencies,  and  to  approve  such  determinations  before 
employees  are  selected.  (S) 


410  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

(s)  To  authorize  the  establishment  of  an  efficient  system  of 
certification  of  teachers,  and  the  preparation  of  eligible  lists.  (S) 

(t)  To  require  the  superintendent  to  nominate  all  assistants, 
directors,  and  supervisors  of  special  departments,  principals,  teach- 
ers, phyiscians,  nurses,  janitors  and  other  officers  and  employees 
in  the  organization  under  his  charge ;  the  board  to  pass  upon  and 
approve  all  nominations  before  appointments  are  made  and  to 
make  all  appointments  and  approve  all  contracts.  (S) 

(u)  To  authorize  the  determination  of  plans  for  attendance, 
census,  classification,  grading,  promotion,  transfers,  graduation 
from  schools  and  courses,  and  other  matters  involved  in  the  manage- 
ment and  control  of  the  pupils  and  students  and  to  approve  all  such 
plans  before  they  become  operative  (S) 

(v)  To  authorize  the  determination  of  plans  for  testing,  re- 
cording and  reporting  the  degrees  of  proficiency  attained  by  the  pu- 
pils in  the  several  classes,  grades,  and  schools;  approve  such  plans 
before  they  are  put  into  operation ;  and  to  provide  the  means  neces- 
sary for  making  the  plans  operative.  (S) 

(w)  To  authorize  the  preparation  and  publication  periodical- 
ly of  reports  to  the  community  which  set  forth  in  a  clear  and  in- 
telligible manner  the  character  of  the  efforts,  degrees  of  achieve- 
ment, working  conditions,  finance,  and  further  needs  of  the  schools 
and  other  agencies  maintained  and  directed  by  the  board ;  to  approve 
such  reports  before  they  are  published ;  and  to  direct  their  publica- 
tion and  distribution.  (S) 

(x)  To  require  their  officials  to  make  such  reports  of  the  edu- 
cational and  other  activities  under  their  charge  as  may  be  legitimate- 
ly requested  by  county,  State,  or  national  authority.  (S) 

(y)  To  perform  any  duty  imposed  upon  boards  of  education 
by  the  laws  or  administrative  regulations  of  the  State  so  far 
as  they  may  be  applicable  to  the  school  or  other  educational  agencies 
and  affairs  of  the  district  and  not  inconsistent  with  other  legislation 
affecting  the  district.  (S) 

(z)  To  prescribe  such  by-laws,  rules,  and  regulations  as  may 
be  necessary  to  make  the  State  legislation  effective,  and  for  the 
conduct  of  the  proceedings  of  the  board,  and  for  transacting  all 
the  affairs  of  the  board  that  relate  to  the  management,  operation, 
control,  maintenance,  and  discipline  of  the  schools,  public  library, 
and  all  other  educational,  social,  and  recreational  agencies  and  activ- 
ities under  its  charge  or  direction.  (S) 


APPENDIX   A  4U 

(aa)  To  perform  such  other  duties  and  to  possess  such  other 
powers  as  may  be  required  to  administer  the  affairs  placed  under 
its  control  and  management  to  execute  all  powers  vested  in  it,  and 
to  promote  the  best  interests  of  the  schools  and  other  agencies  and 
activities  committed  to  its  care.  (S) 

POWERS  AND  DUTIES  OF  THE  SUPERINTENDENT. 

(17)  The  superintendent  of  schools  should  possess  the  fol- 
lowing powers  and  be  charged  with  the  following  duties 

(a)  To  serve  as  the  chief  executive  officer  of  the  board  in  its 
conduct  of  the  schools  and  of  other  agencies  and  activities  commit- 
ted to  its  care.       (S) 

(b)  To  attend  all  regular  and  special  meetings  of  the  board, 
and  to  cooperate  and  advise  with  all  committees  of  the  board.     (S) 

(c)  To  exercise  the  right  to  speak  on  all  matters    before  the 
board,  but  not  to  vote.       (S) 

(d)  To  enforce  all  provisions  of  law  and  all  rules  and  regula- 
tions relating  to  the  management  of  the  schools  and  other  educa- 
tional, social,  and  recreational  agencies  and  activities  under  the 
direction  of  the  board  of  education.     (S) 

(e)  To  prepare  and  submit  to  the  board  for  approval,  by-laws, 
rules  and  regulations  needed  for  the  direction  and  control  of  the 
schools  and  other  agencies  and  activities  under  the  charge  of  the 
board.    (S) 

(f)  To  prepare,  in  conference  and  cooperation  with  the  di- 
rectors and  supervisors  of  special  departments,  principals,  teachers, 
librarians,  and  other  competent  members  of  the  organization,  the 
contents  of  each  course  of  study  authorized  by  the  board  of  edu- 
cation.      (S) 

(g)  To  select,  in  conference  and  cooperation  with  the  directors 
and  supervisors   of   special   departments,    principals,    teachers,    li- 
brarians, physicians  and  nurses  the  text-books  and  other  books, 
apparatus,  maps,  charts,  tools,   equipment  and  all  other  supplies 
and  appliances  needed  for  the  activities  of  the  schools  and  other 
agencies  under  the  care  of  the  board.       (S) 

(h)  To  determine 'the  boundaries  of  school  attendance  subdis- 
tricts,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  board.  (S) 

(i)  To  investigate  the  need  of  and  recommend  to  the  board 
provision  for  school  facilities  in  the  several  subdistricts.  (S) 

(j)     To  have  charge  of  the  operation  and  maintenance  of  the 


412  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

buildings  and  equipment  of  the  schools  and  other  agencies  under 
the  board,  the  maintenance  of  grounds,  and  the  purchase,  storage, 
and  distribution  of  books,  maps,,  charts,  apparatus,  tools,  and  all 
other  equipment,  materials,  and  supplies.  (S) 

(k)  To  have  charge  of  the  system  of  certification  of  all  teach- 
ers and  other  employees  except  as  otherwise  provided  for  by  law, 
and  to  prepare,  as  occasion  demands,  eligible  lists  for  all  types  of 
positions.  (S) 

(1)  To  nominate  as  needed  the  assistants,  directors  and  super- 
visors of  special  departments,  principals,  tecahers,  physicians,  nurses, 
librarians,  janitors,  clerks,  stenographers,  and  other  employees,  au- 
thorized by  the  board.  (S) 

(m)  To  recommend,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  board,  the 
salary  to  be  paid  each  official  or  employee  of  the  board.  (S) 

(n)  To  have  supervision  and  direction  of  assistants  directors, 
and  supervisors  of  special  departments,  principals,  teachers,  librar- 
ians, physicians,  nurses,  attendance  officers,  janitors,  and  other  per- 
sons employed  in  the  conduct  of  the  schools  and  other  agencies  under 
the  board.  (S) 

(o)  To  assign  principals,  nurses,  janitors,  librarians,  and  other 
employees  to  the  schools  or  other  place  where  their  work  is  to  be 
done;  to  transfer  them  from  one  school  or  other  place  of  work  to 
another;  and  to  report  immediately  such  transfers  to  the  board  for 
consideration  and  action.  (S) 

(p)  To  assign  teachers  to  schools,  grades,  classes,  and  courses 
according  to  the  needs  of  the  service;  to  transfer  teachers  from  one 
school  to  another,  from  one  grade  to  another,  from  one  class  to  an- 
other, according  to  the  needs  of  the  service;  and  to  report  immed- 
iately such  assignments  and  transfers  to  the  board  for  its  consider- 
ation and  action.  (S) 

(q)  To  report  to  the  board  violations  of  regulations  and  cases 
of  insubordination;  and  in  cases  sufficiently  grave  to  warrant  it, 
suspend  any  official  or  employee  under  the  direction  of  the  super- 
intendent until  the  next  regular  meeting  of  the  board  when  all 
the  facts  relating  to  the  case  shall  be  submitted  to  the  board  for 
its  consideration  and  action.  (S) 

(r)  To  recommend  for  discharge  or  retirement  any  employee 
under  his  direction  whose  influence  or  services  are  so  unsatisfactory 
as  to  warrant  such  action,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  board.  (S) 

(s)     To  prepare,  in  conference  with  the  business  assistant  and 


APPENDIX  A  413 

others  in  possession  of  the  necesary  facts,  an  annual  budget,  show- 
ing in  detail  the  appropriations  necessary  to  meet  the  estimated 
needs  of  the  ensuing  school  year,  and  submit  the  same  to  the  board 
for  consideration  and  action.  (S) 

(t)  To  recommend  to  the  board  transfers  from  one  budgetary 
appropriation  to  another  as  conditions  may  require.  (S) 

(u)  To  have  power,  within  the  limits  of  the  detailed  budget 
approved  by  the  board,  to  approve  and  direct  all  purchases  and  ex- 
penditures, making  report  to  the  board  at  each  monthly  meeting, 
and  at  any  other  time  when  the  board  may  request  it ;  to  report  pro- 
posed detailed  expenditures  prior  to  action,  whenever  the  board 
may  request  the  same,  for  its  consideration  and  action.  (S) 

(v)  To  have  supervision  and  direction  over  all  activities  in- 
volved in  the  census,  the  enforcement  of  the  attendance  laws,  the 
classification,  grading,  promotion,  discipline,  and  the  organization 
and  management  in  general  of  the  pu  pils  and  students. 

(w)  To  have  supervision  and  direction  over  courses  of  study, 
methods  of  educational  procedure,  the  working  conditions  of  pupils 
and  teachers,  standards  of  achievement,  the  supervisory  labors  of 
special  supervisors,  principals,  and  departmental  heads,  the  training 
of  teachers  in  service,  the  measurement  of  educational  achievements, 
and  every  other  professional  factor,  agency,  or  activity  involved  in 
the  efficient  conduct  of  education.  (S) 

(x)  To  make  decisons  in  the  case  of  controversies  or  conflicts 
arising  in  the  administrative  organization  of  which  he  is  the  head, 
subject  to  appeal  to  the  board.  (S) 

(y)  To  decide  all  matters  of  detail  purely  ministerial  and  ad- 
ministrative in  the  application  of  laws,  by-laws,  rules,  and  regula- 
tions to  the  concrete  situations  that  are  met  with;  and  to  decide 
any  matters  that  may  raise  concerning  which  no  specific  provision 
is  made  in  the  legislation,  reporting  his  decisons  at  the  next  regular 
meeting  of  the  board  following  such  decisions.  (S) 

THE  BUSINESS  ASSISTANT  AND  CLERK  OF  THE  BOARD. 

(18)  The  business  assistant  to  the  superintendent  and  clerk  of 
the  board,  before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office,  should  exe- 
cute a  bond  in  such  sum  as  directed  by  the  board,  conditioned  upon 
the  faithful  discharge  of  his  official  duties,  and  delivery  to  his 
successor  of  all  district  property  pertaining  to  his  offffice  or  in  his 
custody. 

(19)  The  business  assistant,  under  the  supervision  and  direc- 


414  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

tion  of  the  superintendent,  should  perform  the  following  duties : 

(a)  Act  as  purchasing  agent,   receive,   store,   and  distribute 
the  books,  supplies,  apparatus,  and  other  materials  and  appliances 
authorized  by  the  board.       (R) 

(b)  Represent  the  board  in  negotiations  relating  to  the  con- 
struction, repair,  and  maintenance  of  school  property.     (R) 

(c)  Recommend  to  the  board  through  the  superintendent  such 
assistants,  clerks,  janitors,  engineers,   foremen,   and  mechanics  as 
shall  be  needed  for  continuous  employ  in  the  department  under  his 
charge ;  and  have  authority  to  employ  for  brief  periods  such  work- 
men as  are  necessary  for  the  execution  of  the  labors  of  his  depart- 
ment, and  to  discharge  the  same.       (R) 

(d)  Supervise  all  matters  of  repair,  and  have  general  charge 
of  all  buildings  under  the  charge  of  the  board.       (R) 

(e)  Make  and  keep  accurate  and  reliable  real  and  personal 
property  records  which  shall  show  the  cost,  time  of  purchase  or  ac- 
quisition, present  value,  and  location  of  the  property.       (R) 

(f)  Cause  of  the  property  of  the  board  to  be  insured  in  such 
amounts  as  the  board  may  from  time  to  time  direct,  and  keep  a 
record  of  insurance  placed  on  school  property.     (R) 

(g)  Make  to  the  board  through  the  superintendent  written 
monthly  report  of  the  condition  of  the  buildings  and  other  property 
of  the  board,  as  to  repairs,  construction,   and  improvements,   in- 
cluding such  requests  of  principals  as  require  action  of  the  board, 
with  recommendations  thereon.     (R) 

(h)  Draw  up  or  examine  all  contracts  and  other  engagements 
in  which  the  board  is  a  party.  (R) 

(i)  Receive  tuition  fees,  fines,  money  from  the  sale  of  books, 
shop  construction,  and  .other  school  property  and  services,  from 
other  buildings,  and  from  other  sources,  except  such  as  are  paid  to 
the  treasurer  of  the  board  according  to  law,  and  deposit  all  moneys 
collected  by  him  with  the  district  treasurer  at  least  once  each  month. 

(R). 

(j)  Audit  all  claims,  approve  all  bills,  and  submit  the  same  to 
the  auditor  of  the  board  for  audit  and  approval.  (R) 

(k)  Audit  all  cash  collections  made  by  the  agents  of  the  board, 
and  determine  the  kind  of  form  of  reports  to  be  required  of  such 
collection  agents.  (R) 

(1)  Keep  the  revenue  and  expense  accounts,  asset  and  liability 
accounts,  budget  allowance  ledger,  registers  of  purchase  orders, 


APPENDIX  A  415 

vouchers  and  warrants,  expenditure  distribution  record  by  schools, 
pay-roll  records,  registers  of  leases ;  rents,  bonds,  and  building  con- 
struction, and  other  contracts.  (E) 

(m)  Draw  all  warrants  in.  payment  of  claims  against  the 
board.  (R) 

(n)  Submit  to  the  board  a  monthly  report  of  receipts,  dis- 
bursements, and  budget  balances,  and  an  annual  report  at  the  close 
of  the  fiscal  year.  (R) 

(o)  Act  as  custodian  of  all  contracts,  securities,  documents, 
title  papers,  books  of  record,  and  other  papers  belonging  to  the 
.board.  (R) 

(p)  Have  supervision  and  direction  over  the  director  of 
properties,  janitors,  and  other  continuous  or  temporary  employees 
of  the  department  under  his  charge.  (R) 

(q)  Perform  such  other  .duties  as  may  be  assigned  by  the 
superintendent  under  the  authorization  of  the  board.  (R) 

(20)  The  business  assistant,  in  his  capacity  of  clerk  of  the 
board,  should  perform  the  following  duties: 

(a)  Perform  the  usual  functions  of  secretary  to  the  board. 
(R) 

(b)  Keep  the  minutes  of  the  meetings  of  the  board,  and  a 
calendar  of  all  matters  referred  to  committees  and  others,  and  re- 
port action  or  non-action  on  the  same  at  each  regular  meeting.    (R) 

(c)  Send  written  notices  to  board  members  of  both  special 
and  regular  meetings  of  the  board,  with  calendar  of  all  matters  to 
be  brought  before  the  meeting  so  far  as  these  are  known  at  time 
of  sending  the  notice.     (R) 

(d)  Receive  and  reply  to  all  communications  to  the  board 
according  to  the  directions  of  the  board.     (R) 

(e)  Perform  such  duties  as  are  prescribed  by  law  or  by  the 
by-laws  of  the  board  in  connection  with  school  elections  of  every 
kind.     (R) 

The  legislation  above  suggested  will  provide  for  good  organi- 
zation and  procedure  upon  the  administrative  level  of  the  manage- 
ment. It  is  not  possible  here  to  enter  into  a  full  enumeration  of  all 
the  laws,  by-laws,  rules,  and  regulations  that  should  be  enacted  for 
the  governance  of  the  schools.  The  things  to  be  provided  for  are 
very  numerous  and  can  be  acsertained  by  an  examination  of  the 
complete  school  code  of  West  Virginia,  or  other  States,  together 
with  an  examination  of  manuals  and  rules  and  regulations  of  care- 
ful school  boards. 


APPENDIX  B. 


Statement  of  Untaxed  Indian  Lands  in  Oklahoma. 


EASTERN  OKLAHOMA. 

(a)  From  actual  records: 

U.  S.  Indian 

County  Agency  Figures 

Bryan    $  20,870.00 

Carter  40,360.00 

Coal  37,170.00 

Craig  27,830.00 

Creek    220,825.00 

Hughes  191,850.00 

Jefferson  31,850.00 

Marshall  24,340.00 

Mayes   23,570.00 

Mclntosh 163,830.00 

Muskogee  29,930.00 

Nowata  55,410.00 

Okfuskee   226,450.00 

Okmulgee  114,280.00 

Pittsburg    _..  62,460.00 

Pontotoc 91,780.00 

Rogers  52,140.00 

Seminole  238,050.00 

Stephens  14,400.00 

Tulsa  61,020.00 

Wagoner  58,600.00 

Washington  83,580.00 

$1,870,595.00 

(b)  From  a  carefully  considered  estimate: 

Adair $139,520.00 

Atoka   201,600.00 

Cherokee 225,000.00 

Choctaw   250,000.00 

Delaware ...  150,000.00 


County  Assessors 
Figures 

$  40,000.00 
100,000.00 


71,209.00 


98,620.00 


117,955.00 

36,000.00 

314,269.00 

175,000.00 


140,000.00 

61,747.00 
$1,154,800.00 


140,450.00 


416 


APPENDIX  B 


417 


Garvin 

Grady   

Haskell  

Johnston  

Latimer  

LeFlore  

Love   

McClain   

Me  Curtain  . 

Murray  

Ottawa  ...... 

Pushmataha 
Sequoyah   .... 


125,000.00 

210,000.00 
157,000.00 
140,000.00 

207,000.00 

523,840.00 
40,250.00 

57,600.00 

618,240.00 
40,000.00 
120,000.00 
455,000.00 

188,000.00 

$3,848,050.00 

WESTERN  OKLAHOMA. 

U.  S.  Indian 

County  Agency  Figures 

Elaine   -....  $87,994.05 

Caddo  227,441.30 

Cleveland  15,775.01 

Comanche  _ 138,321.17 

Canadian   _ 30,647.73 

Cotton  _ 89,760.05 

Custer  50,500.80 

Dewey  :.._..  40,603.03 

Kay  50,064.43 

Kingfisher 11,120.39 

Kiowa  114,121.17 

Lincoln  12,660.74 

Logan 320.00 

Noble 69,252.56 

Oklahoma  4,816.24 

Osage    128,000.00 

Ottawa   31,623.58 

Pawnee  51,153.20 

Payne 19,180.16 

Pottawatomie 36,980.74 

Roger  Mills  ..  8,617.19 


90,000.00 
180,000.00 
200,000.00 

75,000.00 

60,946.00 

25,000.00 

423,055.00 

100,000.00 


113,620.00 


$1,408,079.00 


County  Assessors 
Figures 
$98,000.00 


65,160.00 
44,200.00 


8,613.00 

73,000.00 

268,493.00 

50,000.00 

7,000.00 


418  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Washita ,. 26,189.37 

Tillman  ! 46,111.61  46,418.00 


$1,291,254.52  $660,884.00 

—TOTAL— 
Western   Oklahoma™        $1,291,254.52  $660,884.00 

Eastern  Oklahoma 

Group  1—1,870,595.00       Group  1—1,154,800.00 
Group  2— 3,848,050.00 (a)  Group  2—1,408,079.00 


Total  $7,014,899.52  $3,223,763.00 

(a)     Estimated  amount. 

About  15  per  cent  of  the  area  of  the  State  is  non-taxable  according 
to  Agency  figures. 


APPENDIX  C. 

Plan  For  Distribution  of  Aid  From  the  Julius  Rosenwald  Fund  For 

Building  Rural  Schoolhouses  in  the  South. 
For  the  Year  Beginning  July  1,  1922  and  Ending  June  30,  1923. 

(1)  The  Julius  Rosenwald  Fund  will  co-operate  with  public 
school  authorities  and  other  agencies  and  persons  in  the  effort  ta 
provide  and  equip  better  rural  schoolhouses  for  the  Negroes  of  the 
Southern  States,  such   equipment   as   desks,  blackboards,   heating 
apparatus,  libraries  and  toilets  being  deemed  of  equal  importance 
with  the  schoolhouses  themselves. 

(2)  The  sites  and  buildings  of  all  schools  aided  by  The  Fund 
shall  be  the  property  of  the  public  school  authorities. 

(3)  The  Trustees  of  The  Fund  and  the  State  Department  of 
Education  have  agreed  as  to  the  number  of  new  buildings  in  the 
construction  of  which  they  will  co-operate. 

(4)  The  school  site  must  include  ample  space  for  playgrounds 
and  for  such  agricultural  work  as  is  necessary  for  the  best  service 
of  the  community.    Aid  will  be  granted  only  when  the  site  meets  the 
approval  of  the  State  Department  of  Education  and  the  General 
Field  Agent  of  The  Fund.    The  minimum  acceptable  for  a  school  is 
two  acres.    For  the  larger  schools  more  land  is  desirable. 

(5)  Plans    and    specifications    for    every    building    shall    be 
approved  by  the  General  Field  Agent  before  construction  is  begun. 
On  request  from  the  State  Department  of  Education.     The  Fund 
will  consider  it  a  privilege  to  furnish  general  suggestions,  plans 
and  specifications  for  schoolhouses. 

(6)  It  is  a  condition  precedent  to  receiving  the  aid  of  The 
Fund  that  the  people  of  the  several  communities  shall  secure,  from 
other  sources:   to-wit — from  public   school  funds,   private   contri- 
butions, etc.,  an  amount  equal  to  or  greater  than  that  provided  by 
The  Fund.     Labor,  land  and  material  may  be  counted  as  cash  at 
current  market  values.     Money  provided  by  The   Fund  will  be 
available  only  when  the  amount  otherwise  raised,  with  that  to  be 
given  by  The  Fund,  is  sufficient  to  complete,  equip  and  furnish 
the  building. 

(7)  The  Fund  will  deposit  with  every  co-operating  State  De- 
partment of  Education  a  sum  of  money  recommended  by  the  General 

419 


420  PUBLIC  EDUCATION  IN  OKLAHOMA 

Field  Agent  to  constitute  working  capital,  from  which  the  proper 
State  official  may  make  disbursements  as  required.  Whenever  the 
State  Department  reports  to  the  General  Field  Agent  any  amount 
or  amounts  disbursed,  with  a  statement  showing  that  the*  work  has 
been  inspected  and  approved  by  an  authorized  representative  of  the 
Department,  The  Fund  will  replenish  its  deposit  in  the  amount  dis- 
bursed, if  the  inspection  report  is  approved. 

(8)  The  amount  appropriated  by  The  Fund  shall  not  exceed 
$500  for  a  one-teacher  school,  $700  for  a  two-teacher  school,  $900 
for  a  three-teacher  school,  $1,100  for  a  four-teacher  school,  $1,300 
for  a  five-teacher  school,  $1,500  for  a  six-teacher  school  or  larger, 
and  $200  for  the  addition  of  a  class  room  to  a  Rosenwald  School 
already  built. 

(9)  Aid  will  be  granted  toward  the  construction  and  "equip- 
ment of  only  those  schools  where  the  term  runs  at  least  five  con- 
secutive months. 

(10)  Every    community,    where    an    application    has    been 
approved,  agrees  to  complete,  equip  and  furnish  its  school  building 
before   June    30,    1923,    otherwise    such    application   automatically 
cancels  itself. 

(11)  To  insure  the  protection  of  the  property  and  to  make  the 
schools  serve  the  broadest  community  interests,  Teachers'  Homes 
should  be  provided  on  the  school  grounds.    In  a  limited  number  of 
selected  localities,  where  the  annual  school  term  is  eight  months  or 
more,  The  Fund  will  consider  co-operation  in  the  construction  of 
Teachers'  Homes,  to  be  completed  and  furnished  to  correspond  with 
the    school   buildings.      The    amount    of    aid    to    be    given    on    a 
Teachers'  Home  shall  not  exceed  one-half  of  the  total  cost  of  the 
building,  provided  the  maximum  from  The  Fund  shall  not  exceed 
$900  for  any  Teachers'  Home.    Just  as  in  the  case  of  school  build- 
ings, the  Teachers'   Home  must  be  'deeded  to   the   public    school 
authorities.    It  is  desirable  for  each  of  these  homes  to  have  a  bath- 
room, and  if  possible,  a  bath-tub  and  wash  basin.    If  there  is  ample 
water  supply  a  hand-power  force  pump  with  a  tank  can  be  installed 
at  a  very  small  expense,  which  will  furnish  water  for  the  bath,  a 
kitchen  sink  and  the  home  economics  room  of  the  school. 


YC  63250 


5068 


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